Brooke Allen
Bridesmaid, Cousin of Bride
Studying at Wheelock to be a Child Life Specialist
Brooke and her brother Dan are my only first cousins. Growing up we spent a lot of time together - holidays, weeks at my grandparents house in the summer, family vacations, etc.
Our family has a tradition of getting together every summer for a week, usually in Maine. Looking back, those weeks have always been some of the best of my life, and they're full of memories of spending time with Brooke and her brother.
Brooke is also my partner in crime when it comes to my Backstreet Boys obsession. We are completely unashamed of the many concerts we have attended together, screaming until we lose our voices and our abs hurt the next day. We cried together after meeting the boys (where Brooke proclaimed her love to Brian!) and jumped up and down screaming after we tracked down and took pictures with Brian's wife.
Brooke is the most selfless person I know. She is the first person to notice if something's wrong, and will sit and listen to you, as you ramble on about everything that's bothering you. She's a caregiver through to her soul, and is in the process of going back to school to become a Child Life Specialist - so she'll be there to comfort children at their worst, when they're stuck in a hospital undergoing scary and painful procedures. I couldn't be more proud of her.
She's just the nicest, kindest, most loveable person, and after Tom proposed to me, I couldn't think of a better person to share it with, and drove almost immediately to her house (after only a quick detour to a car wash - that's what everyone does post proposal, right?). I know they say you can only pick your friends and not your family, but I'd pick her for both any day. I totally won the family lottery with her, and wouldn't dream of getting married without her by my side.
