Amy, living in Stamford, CT at the time, "attends" her commencement from the Hartt School with her doctorate held online due to Covid-19

Following her commencement, Amy's friend Cameron (pink circle), who was living in Utah, invites her to a Zoom hangout to celebrate. Before the first game, he introduces her to his roommate, Tim (teal circle), who was pursuing a doctorate at the University of Utah. Despite an awkward and unconventional first encounter, Amy (pink circle) and Tim connect on social media and begin talking to each other.

Amy and Tim begin video chatting every day and immediately "hit it off." Soon after, Tim (living in Utah) decides to book tickets to visit Amy in person in NY/CT.

Besides video chats, Amy and Tim continue to connect via Zoom games regularly with Cam, and thus the friendship between the three grows. Side note, we don't know who Mona is. Also, Tim was already saying the right things at this point :)

Amy and Tim finally meet in person for the first time in NYC/Stamford, CT! This is their first picture taken together. During this time, Tim also meets Amy's cat Lily and her parents Barbara and Randy.

Less than three weeks after Tim leaves Stamford, Amy flies to Utah to visit Tim (and Cam of course!) It's on this day that Amy asks Tim to be her boyfriend and "things are made official".

First picture of the Utah three!

Amy and Tim grow closer and realize that they are not yet ready to be apart. Instead of flying back herself, Tim books tickets to come back to Stamford with Amy!

After experiencing airport delays, Tim decides to postpone is flight home to the next morning. Amy and Tim have one more night together!

A few weeks later, Amy books tickets to go back to Utah to visit Tim.

Tim brings Amy to Boise, ID, and Boise State University, the school where Tim received his Masters degree.

After another great time together, Amy flies back to Stamford. With the new school year approaching, Tim and Amy begin comparing schedules to see when they can get together in person again.

After lots of thought, Amy ultimately decides to take a giant leap of faith, rent her own apartment, and move to Utah.

Amy leaves Connecticut and starts her journey to Utah. Lily is already in her new apartment, being taken care of by Tim!

Amy arrives in Utah and is reunited with Tim and Lily. Tim continues living with Cam and working on his doctorate at Univ of Utah. Tim introduces Amy to some local colleagues where she can teach band alongside him. Amy also connects with her friend Jared, who was teaching music education at the Univ of Utah and who just happened to be Tim's doctoral advisor. (Small world, right?)

Amy and Tim attend their first band competition together, both as staff. This is the first relationship either had with someone else in the band profession. The two realize how special it is to share professional interests with your partner, and thus, they grow closer together. Picture taken at American Fork, the school where Tim was already working and where Amy was now working. The band show this year was called "Starry Starry Night" (important information for later)

Lily and Tim also grow closer together. This is the first time Lily really trusts someone besides Amy to the point of wanting to "protecc" (protect) them in their sleep!

Amy and Tim host Thanksgiving together; the first holiday Tim gets to "spend" with Amy's immediate family. On the right side of the photo, all the Bovin kitties (minus Michelle, Chris, and Ava's) are spending the holiday together as well.

First family trip to Naples, FL! (Little did they know at the time that this was alluding to the future).

Tim's first Chanukah! Picture taken at Amy's parents' condo in Naples.

Amy and Tim express their love on the sand in Naples, FL next to the waves of the Gulf Coast. (Another preview of things to come that they did not realize at the time!)

Amy and Tim's first Christmas together! (And the first of MANY tacos)

Amy and Tim spend their first Valentine's Day together. Around this time, Tim officially moves in with Amy and Lily.

Amy and Tim get new headshots, including some pictures together, and realize a mutual love of Harry Potter. (Those are conducting batons in their hands.)

Amy and Tim go to Vegas for Amy's birthday. They are able to get reservations at Hell's Kitchen where they realize that they are both "foodies" and have yet another interest in common - Gordon Ramsay.

Amy has (planned) surgery on her elbow and Tim takes care of her during her recovery. Amy and Tim grow closer together.

Tim's doctoral conducting recital, where Amy gets to see Tim conduct live for the first time! Yay, Covid band

Tim's first Passover where he gets to meet Amy's brother Michael for the first time. The two bond over classic video games

Amy and Tim fly to Tim's home in Hokes Bluff, AL. Amy meets Tim's family for the first time. This picture was taken on a duck boat during a family day trip to Chattanooga

Tim takes Amy to her first Braves game and to meet some of his friends in Atlanta. (Tim's first teaching job was in GA).

After going to the South, Amy and Tim fly to the Northeast so Tim can see where Amy grew up in Danbury, CT. During this time, Amy's parents threw her a graduation party since she couldn't have one the previous year due to Covid.

Amy has her doctoral commencement in Hartford, CT, a year late due to Covid. Later that day, Amy and her mom take Tim to UConn for him to see where she got her bachelors' and master's degrees (and, of course, to have some Dairy Bar ice cream!)..

Amy and Tim visit the "famous" John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant and further realize they have the same sense of humor.

Amy and Tim celebrate their one-year anniversary by paddleboarding on the Great Salt Lake! (They're sitting on it together in the picture).

Amy gets a job in Texas, and Amy and Tim have some big decisions to make. They decide that they will of course stay together, Amy will move to Texas, and Tim will stay in Utah in their apartment, while he finishes his doctoral degree.

Sad day - Amy leaves Utah and heads to South Texas. Tim stays in Utah. Amy and Tim promise to see each other at least once a month if not more in the coming school year.

Tim flies to Texas with Lily. It's becoming more and more apparent how much Lily and Tim trust and love each other.

Amy begins her job at TAMUK (and gets her Brittany moment with the headset)

Tim goes to a shelter to find a fur baby and sees a pair of beautiful eyes staring at him. Tim and Maya immediately form a bond, Tim brings Maya home, and our family becomes four!

Tim gets to see Amy in action as a head band director for the first time!

During a trip home to Danbury, Amy and her parents discuss plans for the ring given to her by her paternal grandparents Ruth "Wind-wind" and Henry "Pa" Bovin. They decide to separate Pa's wedding band from Wind-wind's engagement ring so that Amy can one day have the ring as hers.

Amy heads back to Texas and her parents bring the ring to Jewelry Designs in town to be separated. Here is the outcome, where is it clear that the band on the engagement ring needs to be redone at some point in the future.

Amy and Tim fly to Boston for Thanksgiving where Tim gets to meet Amy's cousin's Michelle (the matron of honor), her husband Chris, and their daughter Ava (one of the flower girls). We call this picture "how many doctoral degrees does it take to cook a turkey?"

Amy and Tim head to their first Midwest Convention together, where they introduce each other to their individual networks of friends and colleagues. Thus, the birth of the band power couple!

Amy spends her first Christmas with Tim's family in Alabama.

Amy and Tim spend New Years 2022 in Naples, FL, with Amy's parents. During this time, Tim asks for their blessing to marry Amy!

Amy flies to Utah and meets baby Maya for the first time!

Tim and Maya fly to Texas for Amy's All-Women Composer Concert and Amy's birthday. Lily and Maya meet each other for the first time.

Tim's depiction of their family. (The date on the drawing says 4/7 because that's the date Tim will become Dr.!)

Amy becomes an honor member of Kappa Kappa Psi, National Honorary Band Fraternity. Amy and Tim are now "fraternal brothers" as Tim became a member during his undergrad at Jacksonville State University.

Tim passes his dissertation defense and officially becomes Dr. Timothy S. Sexton!

Amy flies to Utah for Tim's doctoral commencement from the University of Utah. Tim's mom also flies out to Utah to attend and gets to meet her grand-kitties!

Later that day, Tim has his graduation party! (Notice how their regalia are inverses of each other!)

Tim accepts a job at Tarpon Springs Leadership Conservatory of the Arts in Tarpon Springs, FL. After living apart for a year, Amy makes the very easy decision to follow Tim to Florida so that they can settle down and start their lives together.

The last picture of the trio in Utah. Tim and Amy are set to move to Dunedin, and Cam is set to move to Miami to begin his Ph.D.

Amy and Tim leave Texas and begin their trip to Florida

Amy and Tim make a little detour on their way to Florida, and stop in New Orleans for a belated birthday celebration for Tim! (Blurry picture, but posted because of their name tags)

Amy and Tim arrive at their new apartment in Florida! Picture taken at their first meal in Downtown Dunedin that evening

Amy and Tim fly back to Utah to pack up their apartment in Herriman and to get Lily and Maya. Picture taken from the stairwell of their apartment building, looking towards the east mountains

With the rest of the Utah stuff in a PODS, Amy and Tim depart for Florida with the kitties in Tim's car

Amy, Tim, Lily, and Maya arrive in Florida!

Tim takes Amy to the beach for their second anniversary

The first of many sunsets. Picture taken on Clearwater Beach with zero filters.

Amy and Tim fly to the Northeast and Amy's parents throw Tim a graduation party

During their time in the tri-state area, Amy takes Tim to meet her cousins at their first annual "young cousins get-together". Picture of those in attendance, minus partners and kids.

Amy discovers Verazzano's pizza which soon becomes their go-to place. Amazing pizza, despite being in a gas station plaza.

The last photo of Amy, her brother, and their parents in front of their Danbury home, which is sold a few weeks later.

Tim reading The Little Kitten book to baby Maya

Amy and her dad leave CT for Florida with some of the items from their home in Danbury.

After arriving in Florida, Amy's dad gets to meet baby Maya for the first time.

Amy and Tim (in Dunedin) and Amy's parents (now living in Naples) all survive Hurricane Ian aka "New Florida Resident Welcome Week"

Amy accompanies Tim to his first band competition with TSLCA. The two further realize how special it is that they get to support each other in the same profession

Tim invites Amy to come to school with him to work with his students. They did not plan these outfits and had no idea what the other was wearing that day! Picture taken in Tim's new office

Tim takes Amy to a Waffle House during a bus stop on their way with TSLCA to Indy for a national band competition. Fun fact, Amy's first visit to a Waffle House was with Tim the first Tim he took her home to meet his family

Tim's band sweeps their class and comes in 5th in the country!

A few days after returning home from nationals, Amy joins Tim and his band on their trip to NYC to march in the 2022 Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Picture taken in Grand Central Station

Tim in the Macy's parade! Did you catch him and his band on TV?

After an incredible week of memories, including 3 Broadway shows (the first musicals the couple saw together), Amy and Tim have Thanksgiving dinner at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square with 800 TSLCA students, staff, families, and friends.

Amy and Tim celebrate the holidays in Alabama with Tim's family, where Tim's family gets to celebrate Chanukah for the first time

Amy and Tim get the opportunity to present their separate research projects next to each other at the 2023 Florida Music Educators Association State Conference!...

...and Amy gets to support Tim during his research session!

Tim begins a new tradition of buying flowers every few weeks for Amy, a different type each time!

Amy and Tim attend the Annual Florida State Fair, the first state fair in the country that occurs each year. Picture taken after a show with some very talented puppers

With Tim holding down the fort back in Florida, Amy gets asked to present not once but three times at the 2023 College Band Directors National Association National Conference. This is the first time Amy is asked to present at a conference, rather than her having to apply to present!

Lily, being 13, celebrates her Bat Mitzvah with the same Torah and Haftarah portions Amy had for her Bat Mitzvah. (Amy made Lily the tallis, yarmulke, and Torah)

Amy and Tim spend a much-needed Spring Break in Orlando

Tim, not being completely happy with the previous picture, askes the person to take a few more. He then surprises Amy by getting down on one knee and proposing with her grandma's ring in front of Hogwarts (remember how they discovered a mutual love of Harry Potter during their headshots a few years before this?)

A few moments later, Amy surprises Tim right back by getting on her knee and proposing to him!

The two rings. Amy is wearing her grandma's ring, which is the original setting with a new band. Tim's ring is called "Starry Night" that shows colors of the sky in the sunlight to symbolize the first marching band show they worked on together in Utah called "Starry Starry Night". (Thanks to Orien and American Fork for giving both the opportunity to work together!)

Tim gets glasses!

Amy and Tim host their first Passover, where Amy's parents can attend in person (and Amy's brother can join via video chat!)

Amy and Tim decide that Amy's laptop cover will be the color pallet for their wedding

Amy and Tim attend their first wedding together as a couple. This is Tim's 14th time as a groomsman! Picture taken at the wedding of Haley and Bradley (one of Tim's groomsmen)

Amy and Tim are beginning to get frustrated with trying to find "the perfect" venue. Amy decides to look at a place in one of their favorite towns in the area while Tim is at school one day. She reports back that it is perfect. (Pictures of the ceremony and reception venues where Amy and Tim's wedding will be held)

A few days later, Tim's mom comes to visit. Amy's parents get to meet Vickie for the first time and there are tears of joy! All attend Tim's concert and visit the wedding venue together. It is decided that Amy and Tim will get married in Safety Harbor, FL!

Tim has dinner with Amy's parents one night while Amy is away for work! (Amy swears that her parents own more than two shirts, they just really like the pink ones)

Almost three years to the day of meeting each other for the first time, Tim brings Amy to his end of the year banquet. The two celebrate Tim's first year (of hopefully many) as band director at TSLCA. Picture taken at the venue where they were going to get married before the place slapped on an additional $10,000 of undiscussed unexpected fees....

After weeks of crazy traveling for both, Amy and Tim are actually home at the same time long enough to finalize the wedding venue contract

Amy and Tim officially book Safety Harbor Resort and Spa as the venue for their wedding ceremony and reception! They will get married on June 8th, which is Amy's grandma's birthday (the one who's ring she now wears).

Amy and Tim spend their third anniversary watching the fireworks in Safety Harbor, going to a golf cart parade in their hometown of Dunedin, visiting the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, and so much more over the course of the best three-week stay-cation ever. They absolutely love where they live and cannot wait to share it with everyone. See you in 2024!