And Now, A Very Special Post Honoring Two Extraordinary People, Phil and Lauren

Longtime readers might remember one of my contributors, Phil. He did a series of posts called "Things That That Make Me A Bad Boyfriend." Have you read them yet? You should. They're hilarious. I met him in Richmond, as I was visiting my friend Tracy who lives down there. She was dating Phil's roommate, Kenny. All I heard about was how rad this guy Phil was, so I was stoked to finally meet him that weekend at a party.

I remember catching sight of him sipping a greyhound by the bar and thinking, "I'm going to change this guy's life for the better." I'm not kidding; I actually had that exact thought. Can we all agree that's a strange thing to think? I've never felt that way about someone before, especially a person I'd never met. But, I felt an overwhelming urge to involve him in this site. Weird! So, I introduced myself. I told him that Tracy and Kenny had shown me his Facebook profile page and that his picture was perfect. I asked if I could write about it on Shmitten Kitten and he said sure. So, I did. Here's the picture I was talking about:

I spy Weezer's blue album

Soon after that, he starting writing for Shmitten Kitten. Phil rules.

And, longtime readers might remember one of my other contributors, Lauren. She's a total sweetheart. Along with our writer Lora, Lauren helped me plan several Shmitten Kitten events. Here she is showing off a fake SK tat at the Mr. Philadelphia Pageant we threw at Johnny Brenda's in 2010:

Now THIS is team spirit

Oh my god, I love her. She is sunshine personified. Aside from being beautiful, she is smart, funny, and creative as well. I loved going over to her house and having pizza parties while we planned our next event. She always had terrific ideas and her energy and humor has been a fantastic addition to the site.

Phil and Lauren met at a Shmitten Kitten holiday party at the Khyber three years ago. I had asked Phil to deejay the party, so he drove up from Richmond to do it. It was at that party that Phil and Lauren met and started dating long-distance soon after. I even helped Phil plan their first date in Philly as he wasn't sure where to take her. Last year, Lauren moved down to Richmond to be with him. And this weekend, they're getting married. Look at this adorableness:

It's been an honor to bring these two lovely souls together. Congrats, Phil and Lauren! I love you both very much and I wish you a lifetime of happiness.