Carolyn is Crystal's best friend from childhood. Literally friends from the crib, Crystal and Carolyn have shared memories, dreams, and secrets all their lives, despite their living in different cities for the last ~13 years (Mostly due to Carolyn's generosity with cell phone minutes and travel)! Carolyn is an avid reader, shoe-gawker, and a passionate and caring citizen of the world. Carolyn is currently living in Chapel Hill, where she is working towards a PhD in public policy at University of North Carolina.

Margaret is Crystal's best friend from college. One month into freshman year, Crystal was in a study lounge, loudly lamenting she had no one with whom to go to a Jane Austen Society of North America lecture, when her query into the void was literally answered by a tea-swilling, viola-playing Wagnerian. Crystal and Margaret have lived together, traveled together, started not-so-secret cults together, and laughed a lot. Margaret lives in England now (where she is a database architect at Imperial College's School of Public Health), but she writes excellent newsy e-mails as always, keeping close in spirit, if not always in person.

Amy is one of Crystal's closest friends. Though they both were in Boston for college, Crystal and Amy didn't become close until after, through gigabytes of correspondence and a shared passion for reading and Asian pop music. As one of the most considerate and responsible people in Crystal's life, she is the voice of reason in any dilemma; she offsets this by also being the devil on the shoulder during shoe sales. Amy lives in the Washington, DC, area and is an attorney for the Board of Veterans' Appeals.

Jenni is Jeff’s younger sister. She currently resides in Austin, TX, where she has a job in a marketing firm. Jenni and Jeff spent their younger lives riding bikes, yelling profanity at one another (long story), and eating cake (she likes cake). In her spare time, Jennie enjoys cooking and aspires to have her own business in the food industry. She also recently acquired a cat that looks amazingly similar to Crystal and Jeff’s cat Lina.

Vickie is Jeff’s older sister. She lives in a sleepy little town called Las Vegas, NV where she is a physical therapist. Vickie and Jeff spearheaded many epic moments in Byers family lore including: roller skating shows, terribly written rap songs, and the game, “bet you can’t hurt me”. Vickie recently retired from her first profession as a dancer (not that kind of dancer); her last job was at the Excalibur Hotel and Casino. Vickie also taught ballet for years, but has recently taken to Yoga where she continues to amaze the family with her flexibility.

Andy is Jeff’s closest friend from graduate school. He and Jeff spent countless hours drafting stuff, grilling stuff, watching stuff, and drinking stuff. Andy currently lives in the up-and-coming town of Lansdale, PA where he works for DOW making coatings. If you need your deck stained or your house painted, Andy is your man. In addition to being the center of the vaunted “Fuzzy Bunnies of Death”, Andy is an accomplished home brewer, and possessor of “the perfect smile”. Jeff’s favorite of Andy’s brews is the “40 Minutes of Hejl Ale”!

Bert is one of Crystal's closest friends from grad school. Bertalicious and Crystal bonded immediately while checking out schools, and were beyond delighted to find themselves not only in the same grad school, but working in the same lab. Always on hand to talk over a bottle of wine, be it regarding lab grievances, travel strategies, or Project Runway, Bert is fierce, fun, and fabulous! He currently lives in southern California and does research for Integrated Diagnostics.

Craig is one of Jeff’s friends from college. Craig hails from Portland, OR where he was born and raised. He shares his life in P-town with his lovely wife Aimee. In college, Craig and Jeff were in a cultish club called Focus (now Pathfinder). They were also roommates for the year following graduation, and made an epic road trip across the country. The trip had many memorable moments, but it also had one casualty: Craig’s expensive keyboard melted in the hot sun of Las Vegas.

Dan is one of Jeff’s friends from his days at Washington University. Dan was born and raised in Indiana, but currently lives near San Francisco, CA where he has had many occupations over the years. Dan is an avid sports fan and shares Jeff’s enthusiasm for the St. Louis Cardinals. Dan is always the life of the party; you will undoubtedly see him on the dance floor where he can cut a rug like no other. YOU KNOW IT!

Terry is Crystal's brother. Though he's younger, Terry's taken on the role of being the more level-headed and rational Shih sibling, which Crystal appreciates (as well as his taste in movies, glib aphorisms, fierce loyalty, and reliable support). Terry is a surgical resident at the University of Michigan, and lives with his gorgeous wife Liz and lively dog Miley in Ann Arbor, Michigan.