Dan and Elizabeth

Dan and I go back to law school, to the days when I would sit at the front of the class taking notes as if my life depended on it and he, inversely, caught up with his fantasy sports team. I’ll never forget the day when Professor Yeazell employed the Socratic method and called on me in Criminal Procedure. I felt my legs melt into my chair and my heart skip nine beats. Fifty pairs of eyes stared at me, most of them thanking God they weren’t sitting in my chair. And then there was Dan. Looking up from his laptop—most likely taking a break from ESPN.com—I knew he knew the answer. Dan always knew. He was one of those law students…the kind who was born to be a lawyer. Whose mind was programmed to chew up law books like beef jerky and gnaw on case briefs like T-bones. I’m a vegetarian. Both literally and metaphorically. Even though I answered Yeazell’s question correctly, it was as if Dan knew the answer before Yeazell even thought of the question.

Unpredictably, Dan and I ended up in the same study group and became good friends. We’d compare outlines, case briefs, and notes. He helped me stay focused when we were writing to get onto the Entertainment Law Review, and even made
sure I had dinner at his house every Tuesday evening. His fiancé, Liz, would make a big meal and a regular group of us would get together to eat a warm meal, catch up on law school gossip, and religiously watch Scrubs. It was the way we stayed normal. The way we didn’t lose ourselves to Supreme Court decisions.

When Dan and Liz asked if I’d take their engagement pictures a few weeks ago, I was honored. They’ll be married in Maui this summer, so I was excited I was able to take part in such a special moment. We met at the Santa Monica Pier and spent the afternoon in the sun. We rode the Ferris wheel, bumped on the bumper cars, and walked along the beach…I’m not sure who had more fun! ☺

Dan and Lizzie, I’m happy and honored you consider me a friend and I wish you the very best as you embark on marriage. So much has changed since our days eating dinner and watching Zach Braff, but it’s nice to know that we have something deeper than mere food and comedy. Here are a few pictures from our day…