Cousins, Friends, Sisters (CFS), Roommates – the list goes on. I remember showing up to the University of Rhode Island, a college four hours away from home and not knowing anyone – except her. She took me under her wing and showed me around the school, making a lonely freshman feel right at home. Taking me around to all the fun houses “Down the Line”, playing our “video game” together, and coming up with our infamous Couch Tour were just some of the hilarious things we did. Growing up she was the big sister I never had, someone I could look up to and who always had my back. We went from living in a sorority house with 50 other girls to living with each other in NYC, a truly great experience and a year I will always cherish.

Hands Garafolo, where do I begin. I met Laura when she was about 15, a tiny little thing with braces who was the youngest in the group, counting down the days until she finally turned 21. I know Laura as one of those people where you can have a good time no matter what you’re doing, whether its hanging out in her backyard or at a bar. I’ll never forget the summer we spent laying by her pool and just living life.  Looking back on our friendship I realize we’ve been through so much and I’m excited to see what’s next for us.

My sister from another mister. Bonding over all things Russian, Gabby has easily become one of my favorite people. It seems like every time I turn to tell her something she’s already on the same page. I really feel like we have so much in common that we can literally be the same person sometimes. It’s so nice to have gotten so close to her and learn so much that it makes me look forward to the future of our friendship.

1994, Hebrew School/ PS4:   

Darren and I crossed paths, sharing laughs over snack-time Butterfingers and Honey Cake in Hebrew School.  From that flicker of time 20 years ago, a friendship was born, followed by years of hilarious hijinks.  There are too many tales over the past 20 years to list here, but we will always share those memories.  You can still find us quoting jokes we made together 10-15 years ago.  We’ll continue to do the same 15 years from now over shrimp cocktail, Entenmann’s Raspberry Danish and background music from a burned CD from 2002.  We’ve grown from Boyz II Men (which we listened to our fair share of…) but will always be family.

Corey Rubenstein

1994, PS4/ Hampton Green: 

Corey, the Brooklyn transplant came into my life just as friendships start to matter as a child.  We were inseparable growing up.  Every day in and out of school you could find us together, coming into our own.  For years in Hampton Green (where we both lived), we spent so much time exploring our world on bike (bicycle) that you’d think we were Hell’s Angels.  It makes perfect sense that Corey would be the explorer of our group, moving to Florida to chase his dream.  Though we don’t see each often, living in different states, Corey will always be in my life as another extension of the family.

Rob Grimm

1993, PS4: 

Nobody expects to carry 20+ year friendships at only 26 years old, but here we are today.  I met Rob in our 1^st Grade class and we never looked back (except maybe the time I told Corey that Rob took his basketball card).  Rob and I have memories spanning more than two decades – Camp, skydiving, fishing trips, parties, broken bones (mine) and stiches (Rob’s).  Rob has always been a friend that will drop everything just to help out – with any issue, day or night.  His solutions are always cunning which is why we call him MacGyver.  But most importantly, Rob is as loyal of a person as you can meet, a direct reflection of why we have been basically brothers for 21 years.

Michael Harmen

2004, Brooklyn Sushi Dinner: 

I still remember the day we met while gorging on all-you-can-eat sushi in Brooklyn.  I didn’t realize at the time that Mike and I would become so close.  Over the past decade, we bonded quickly, sharing similar mindsets to try new things.  Mike and I have spent years trying new cuisines and restaurants together.  We’ve traveled together.  I’ve played Baccarat with Mike which admittedly I still don’t understand.  We even went into business together during college.  My feeling is if you can trust someone with a joint bank account, you can trust them with anything.

Scott Serapiglia

1996 est., Somewhere:

Scott has always carried an air of mystery about him which makes you want to learn more.  I can’t pinpoint the day I met Scott, but it has been a very long time.  Scott and I over the years have really gained a closeness that brothers have.  I guess we look alike since I would use his ID to get into the bars.   We can chat for hours on end, and it never gets old.  We used this to our advantage when, in Israel, we locked ourselves out of our hotel room on a balcony one night with nowhere to go until morning.  We had nothing to do but talk to each other that night, and at the end we both walked away with an even greater respect for each other.  Cheers to beachfront properties in Home-ifornia (California), someday.

Chris Thomas

2005, Rutgers:

Some say, you don’t really know someone until you’ve lived with them.  Fortunately Chris and I got that out of the way very early into our friendship when we shared a room in college.  With that shared room comes a plethora of “inside jokes” that we share with anyone and everyone who will listen, more than once – fair warning.  It’s funny how opposites attract.  You would always know who was last watching TV in our room when you turned on the TV.  If the Food Network or Travel Channel was on, it was me.  If SportsCenter was on, it was Chris.  There was no delay in our friendship, no warm-up period.  For whatever reason, we both had a mutual respect for one-another.  Chris is family now, a challenge to the statement “blood runs thicker than water.”

Benny Klein

2003-2004, Tottenville High School

Benny K!  We met somewhere, at some point in time, with some group of people, where you were probably eating a “rugged” steak.  Forgive me for the lack of detail, but that’s just how it goes sometimes.  What really matters is where we are today, a decade later.  A decade of hanging out, cracking jokes.  A decade of singing like a Doo-Wop group under light posts.  A decade of Benny getting lost on familiar terrain.  A decade of Benny working at Izzy’s Magic Pan.   When you spend as much time as Benny and I have ripping on each other, it knocks down any potential boundaries to a friendship.  Benny is a friend and a brother, but he is awful at NBA 2K.