Jordan & Eric

I've known Eric for all my life, and due to some suspicious educational choices on my part, I've been following in his footsteps the whole way. Getting called Eric got a little old, but I was so lucky to have his protection: protection from other kids as a baby (among our mom's top 5 favorite stories), protection from thunderstorms as a toddler, protection from being uncool as a teenager, etc. He would even rough me up when my friends came over so they would know I wasn't lying about it - what a guy. We've grown up a little bit over the years, but if I ever want to get irrationally upset over the basketball team of a school neither of us attended or just stay up all night playing video games, I know I've got Eric for life. Jordan is a remarkably good sport about it all too which is pretty neat.

Now we're all semi-adults with a shockingly low number of functioning limbs, and I'm plowing through the US medical education system just trying to keep up with Eric. While our conversations still center around hot sports takes, there are professional and life lessons occasionally mixed in. I'll always look up to Eric, and I'm thrilled he has Jordan to continue making a lifetime of memories with. I hope one day to be able to repay them for all they have helped me accomplish, but for now I live in a constant state of anticipation of the next ludicrously expensive dining adventure we get to embark on. Thank you for letting me a be a part of this day!

When I first met Eric I was terrified. I was seven at the time and was at my new school’s picnic when suddenly a behemoth of a second grader approached. I thought this will go one of two ways, either I will get eaten or this guy will be my best friend and body guard. Fortunately the latter happened and the rest is history. Sure Eric caused trouble from time to time like when he would use my head as an arm rest or when he hid a video game from me but overall he was the Malone to my Stockton who saved me from two guys on a basketball court and was always there to help with kumon. I reciprocated by saving Eric from a lightening storm once and in high school I picked him up from the back of a men’s warehouse to avoid a senior manhunt predator. Our relationship went to another level at Wash U where we lived together and Eric would freestyle rap to me every night. It was also here where I beat Eric once in super smash brothers a feat that took over a decade and one that is my greatest life accomplishment. A close second was the one time I beat Eric in one on one, after which he demolished a D1 prospect. I had the joy of living with Eric again a few summers ago although admittedly I was a little jealous I had to share him with Jordan. Eric is one of the people I look up to most and will always be family to me. I am so happy for you brother and take comfort knowing that Jordan is looking after you.

My path to Eric was a long and winding one. I was born a gentle giant in a quaint New England town. Bestowed from birth with a cannon for an arm, I spent summers with my family flipping tires, playing Frisbee with storm drain covers, and throwing fastballs into the Sun. Yet, there was always something missing. Whether it was a lack of flavor in my food or a sense of personal dignity or shame or a functioning moral compass as I cheered for the Patriots, who was to know. I attended Wake Forest on a baseball scholarship trying to find that answer. Throughout college I threw hard and studied harder but remained unfulfilled. Towards the end of my college career I just said, “Fuck it, might as well go be a doctor” and made the trip north to Georgetown.

I met Eric after he responded positively to a “Man Searching for Friend and Roommate” post on MySpace (Editor note: this is absolutely not factually accurate). Little did I know that Eric’s lack of advance planning and desperation would be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Eric and I were roommates for all four years of medical school. During that time we studied together, worked out together, and won a few intramural championships together. And while most of you know that Eric has few, if any, functioning joints, I have only the essence of a jump shot. We were a match made in heaven. I even tried to kill him once with a fastball. Well, he volunteered to catch it, but he clearly had no idea what was coming and I went along with it. The man has no respect for his joints. Fast forward 7 years and we are friends for life, both ER residents, and both applying for Sports Medicine fellowships in the same cities. I guess what I am trying to say is, while Jordan is certainly wonderful and Eric is lucky to be marrying her, I’m sort of the lucky one in all of this. Because, I mean, how many times does the guy from New England end the story a winner?

I first met Eric while he was dropping some sa-uuuce and blowing by me with a devastating spin move on the basketball court. I then had to pull his ass up off of the floor as he seemingly tore the only intact ligament he had left in his body as Ryan McGrath hip checked him into next week. I was then forced to sit through several years of heartbreaking Longhorns losses to Eric's Jayhawks and thus continued my endless suffering with this man. If I ever have to hear about Landen Lucas again because of this man it'll be too soon. Despite all this, I managed to see how tremendous a dude Eric is despite his raggedy knee ligaments (who needs them anyway) and appreciate him for the Jeremy Lin loving, Jayhawk cheering, Ed Sheeran wannabe he is (For the love of humanity, no more misty eye of the mountain). I was lucky enough to become best friends with this amazing piece of man in medical school and we'll forever be friends as a result. I wouldn't miss this day for anything. Eric has been a pillar for me since the day I met him and I'll forever be there for him in the same way.

I met Eric at an interview day for the Ervin scholarship and solidified our friendship at a medicine pre-orientation prior to starting at WashU (an introduction that would make our overachieving Asian mothers so proud). Our love of playing basketball despite our physical limitations as 5’10” wings brought us closer together but probably further away from ever winning the coveted intramural championship t-shirt. As roommates for 3 years in college, our friendship steadily grew stronger, even as our living conditions steadily declined (the CB hootie hoo! > the Teresina closet room > Nan’s condemned building). We threw down some epic joint birthdays, wasted a lot of time playing video games, and ate way too much late night food together, but still managed to turn into “functional” members of society: one of us is a doctor who saves lives and the other made a career of telling doctors what to do with no medical training (I’ll let you decide who the real hero is).

I first became an admirer of the groom in college, where the majority of our interactions involved preventing fist fights with each other while we played call of duty, FIFA, super smash bros, and other video games that we took way too seriously. However, with age and maturity, it’s silly to think about how childish we were at the time. Luckily we have maintained our friendship since then, and have grown together as a result. For example, we now play fantasy football against each other, like adults.

I was also lucky enough to live with Eric while we “worked” abroad in China for an internship. Most of you close to Eric know of this time period as a blank space in Eric’s memory. Needless to say it was quite the experience. Although I cannot share the details of this unique experience in lieu of bro code by laws and plausible deniability, I can say that Eric and I became even closer during this time, and formed a lifelong bond. Also, to the Chinese government, if you are listening, we are truly, truly sorry.

Eric knows that I will have his back until our dying days (unless it’s inconvenient for me), and I know he feels the same way.

In the Oxford dictionary aka Urban Dictionary, “Brother from another mother” is followed by a picture of me and Eric. We first met in 4th grade at Topeka Collegiate School and have been close friends since. Although most of our teachers/mentors/coaches/school principles may vehemently disagree, we have truly been a dynamic duo since then, and not a “terror to work with while together” like they claim.

Many of our memories growing up also involve “voluntarily going” (in case our Asian mothers are reading this) to numerous summer nerd camps together. We also both served as sacrificial lambs/targets in paintball, and aced fools as tennis doubles partners.

Our friendship is one that has withstood many miles and years, and no matter how long it has been we are just as ridiculous and goofy together as the first day we met. Like Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.

We first met while both attending Kumon in Topeka, Kansas. We noticed each other immediately, as meeting another Asian person that you didn’t already know was as rare as finding bigfoot. Our friendship started there, but as fate would have it, we were shortly united at the same middle school. Our friendship then really took off—whether it was attending basketball camps together, singing boy band songs together, playing Super Smash Bros, or getting matching blonde hair streaks (true story unfortunately), we became very close. It got to the point where people would often point out that “y’all two look just alike,” a testament to our friendship no doubt, and not driven by racial biases. Though sparingly able to see each other due to work/distance, I am grateful to have such a good friend in Charles, I mean Eric.

Jennifer Duan is the groom's cousin. However don't tell him that because he fondly refers to her as Jiějie, which stands for sister.

Chanda Funston is the bride's great-aunt. Aunt Chanda was one of the people that helped in creating Jordan's love of reading, excessive holiday decorating and charades, along with her candy addiction from Aunt Chanda's care packages throughout Jordan's life. 

Julie Smith is the bride's aunt and godmother. She recently won a blue ribbon at the Kansas State Fair (doing the family proud).  She is very crafty and she and Jordan share a love for art. Eric and Jordan are very excited to have her to be a part of their day.  

Chris is Jordan and Eric's nephew! The best thing about our wedding being postponed, was being able to have this lil' cutie be part of our day. He is honestly the cutest and will probably steal the show.