Dear Baby Boy Garofalo,

Dear Baby Boy Garofalo, Let me introduce myself. My name is Marie - and I am a close friend of your Dad -Mark,  and your Mom - Katharina. I met your Dad in the late 1990s, when he was a roommate with my brother at Ga Tech. Later, I rented a room in your Dad's house while I was in graduate school at Emory. This is when your Dad and I became great friends, and I also got to know your Grandma and Grandpa Garofalo and your Aunt Cat and Uncle Kevin during this time, as well. Living at Marks was fun, and it is this house where I met my boyfriend of many years, Clint. Your Dad is an amazing cook (as I am sure you will discover soon) and has great taste in wine (which I am sure you won't know anything about until you are at least 21;)). Your Dad, Clint and I had many great adventures back in the day: throwing crazy Halloween parties, having amazing BBQs, and even surviving a tree crashing through the roof of the house! When your Dad met your Mom, I knew it was special - I could tell he really loved her, even from the start. I was so excited to meet her - I noticed she was everything that your Dad was looking for: smart, sweet and beautiful! It was always so much fun when she would come to visit from Germany - showing her around Atlanta, introducing her to our haunts. On mornings when she would fly out, we would be sure to have a breakfast party, filled with pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit and of course, mimosas, so she would be tempted to stay and never leave. Clint and I also took a special trip with your Mom and Dad over to Munich, Germany, to visit her home and see for ourselves the amazing Oktoberfest celebration. It is so exciting that your mom lives here in the U.S.A. now, and even though Clint and I had to move, your Mom and Dad remain close friends of Clint and I. I know they are so excited for your arrival, as are we! We all can't wait to meet you, Baby Garofalo! Love, Marie