Dorothy is 13 and will be a freshman at Evanston Township High School next fall. She has been playing piano since age 7 and circus since age 3. Dorothy also loves acting, music, photography, and is well aware that her gifts of persuasion and logical argument will help her as an adult as an advocate for herself and others. Dorothy brings the energy and silly with a big dose of sunshine.

Una is 16 and will be a junior at Evanston Township High School next fall. She has been playing violin and performing circus since age 5. She loves the beach and will be a life guard this Summer at the Evanston beaches. Una loves science and is working towards becoming an astrophysicist. Una has a deep wisdom that she shares in a calm, direct manner. She can just as easily surprise with a, “I love you, Mom” and a big hug.

Giles is 17 and will be a senior at Evanston Township High School in the fall. He has played on the water polo team, and brought his childhood love of acting to the high school level this year, performing in Writer’s Showcase. He plays bass and loves rock climbing, camping, sea kayaking, and most adventures in nature. Giles will be serving as a life guard this summer at the Evanston beaches.

Eloise is 20 and will be a junior at Wesleyan University in the fall. She is a double major in Economics and Government, with a minor in Environmental Studies. She hopes to fight climate change by making big shifts in corporate behavior and public policy. She has been playing soccer since age 5 and is still playing club soccer at Wesleyan. She also plays club tennis. She will be studying abroad in Spain next Fall.

JENNY’S HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND

I met Lauren freshman year in high school and our adventures started soon after. We took road trips (Lauren drove and I handled the maps), talked our way into bars, went dancing til late at night, and that was just in high school. When we graduated college and went into the work force, we kept the party going. We would meet several days a week after work to process the day over a martini.

We’ve planned many parties together, starting in high school, and continued into adulthood planning two high school reunions together, our 20th and 25th. I love planning parties and events with Lauren because our ideation session is a blast and her copy always captures the zeitgeist of the moment. From Erotica House in ‘93 to Come As You Are in 2014, our parties are the talk of the town. Lauren has the perfect mix of pragmatism and big, wild ideas. Whatever the decision is, she gets it done. Lauren is a woman of action.

She has persistently worked her way up in the cut throat advertising world to Vice President at the global agency, Publicis. Lauren is perpetually positive and full of energy. If Lauren walks in the room, the energy instantly lifts and you’ll soon be laughing. Whenever I tell Josh that she is coming to visit, he yells, “Yay!!” She always goes above and beyond to help and hype the people she loves. We know we will always be there for each other in a pinch and when we want to celebrate.

Favorite cocktails: Sidecar or Gimlet

JOSH’S ELEMENTARY/HIGH SCHOOL FRIEND

So here we are, the Irish (turns out!) in America. Brothers from other mothers, I’ve known JP since elementary school (Go, Orrington Orators!), but I think it was sophomore year when we really became good friends. Or maybe when I started giving him rides to school.

I would say we became best friends because we have the same sense of humor, replete with equal parts juvenile and obscure references. It didn’t hurt that JP knew I would always be available to hang out because I didn’t go to parties in high school. That winning formula took us through college when we were just over an hour away from each other and hung out at both campuses. It carried us into our twenties, when JP moved to the East Coast and we would meet at the Cape for long weekends and celebrate his birthday back in E-town every December.

JP is a mensch, fiercely loyal and loving, wicked smaaht, wise and insightful, and curious with an encyclopedic mind for trivia (and some important stuff, too). And he can make me laugh harder than just about anyone. JP is the Director of Federal Policy at Merck in D.C. He’s been married six years to Kristen, an indefatigable woman who leaves a lasting impression on everyone she meets. They are proud parents to Margot, their toddler whose physical strength and intelligence both go up to eleven.

Though we are in different periods of our lives — I’m almost an empty-nester, and he has a two-year-old — we both know that we’ve got each other’s back no matter what.

Favorite cocktails: G & T and Boulevardier