Brady and I were destined to meet. He’s the second cousin of one of my best childhood friends and one of my closest college friends was in Brady’s high school friend group. Our paths were meant to cross.

If we were to go all the way back, Brady and I first met at an ugly sweater Christmas party. However, if Brady was flirting, as he likes to claim, it was missed in translation across the Flip Cup table. I noticed him for sure but was focused on winning! I am a Houlihan...

Once our paths crossed again in early 2019, it was over. Brady and I quickly bonded over our love of breweries and card games. Everything came so easy, it was like I had known him for years. Which is a benefit of going on the date with a friend of a friend - our walls were already down, and being our goofy selves made it easy to fall in love with each other.

It was only 4 short months before Brady was supposed to leave Boston to continue his journey in Oncology Pharmacy at UVM Medical. It was a whirlwind romance with an end date we blissfully ignored. However, when that time came around, he was already my best friend and I couldn't imagine him not in my life. So we did long distance, until Covid truly brought us to the next level as I went up to visit over St Patrick’s day weekend, our one year anniversary, with a small bag full of green clothes, and didn’t leave for months! Luckily, I like the color green, and I was in love with him.

The rest is history... by the time he was to move again to Portland, ME for his final year of training, I was all in. We fell in love with this beautiful city, became dog-parents to our son Detective J Munch, and our separate lives melded into what is now our amazing little family.

Family is one of the first things that bonded us. I introduced Brady to members of my extremely close family without warning on numerous occasions, and each time Brady rolled with the punches (punches being figuratively but the hurling of jokes and insults were not). Brady and I are cut from the same cloth. Our core fibers are the same; a love of family and friends, and a deep appreciation of finding humor throughout life's challenges.

When Brady asked me to marry him, on St Patrick’s day weekend, our fourth anniversary, it was the easiest decision muffled behind a sea of tears. I was overwhelmed with excitement that the next chapter in our story was just beginning. A forever I pictured on our third date - which was 100% a laundromat where I was tricked into folding his clothes. He will deny it, but that’s why I love him.

Registry