Whether you're family, a friend, or even an acquaintance of ours, it's almost impossible that you haven't heard "the story of us". It's Dan's favorite.

Dan graduated from Penn State University in 2012 and shortly after, accepted a management position with Quaker Steak and Lube in Plano, Texas. Exactly one year later, I accepted the same position. I packed up my Jeep, said goodbye to my friends and family, and with my sister Heather, drove 1,800 miles from home.

A few mornings after we arrived, there was a manager meeting being held in a local hotel conference room with our team members from Corporate. I (in typical fashion) woke up late for the meeting. I threw myself together and sped off to the hotel. I parked my car and rushed through the parking lot in the attempt to make it through the doors on time. Just as my luck would have it, while sprinting to the hotel lobby entrance my high heel snapped. I immediately fell to the ground. Once I got myself up I did a quick scan of the hotel windows to check if anyone had just witnessed my super embarrassing moment, and as far as I could tell, no-one was watching. I got back to my car, changed my shoes, and ran inside.

I grabbed one of the only empty seats at our 20 person desk and took a breath. After a few seconds of awkward silence noticed my 15 co-managers staring at me. The room bursted into laughter and everyone began talking about my parking lot fall. (I guess I forgot to look at the first floor window when checking for witnesses to my solo crash.) With a completely red face I joined in on the laughter. As mortified as I was, I also felt oddly at home.

The jokes died down as our execs made their way into the room. Little did I know, my series of unfortunate events was not over. Seconds later I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked up to find Jim McGrath (CEO) telling me I was in his seat...at the head of the table. Again humiliated, I quickly moved to another empty chair.

The meeting began and everyone started taking notes. I was totally unprepared. I looked at the guy to my right and asked, "Do you have a piece of paper?" I could read his thoughts about me from this look on his face, "This girl can't be serious." A few seconds later, I also had to ask him for a pen. Little did I know, while I thought he was judging me for making a total ass out of myself on my first encounter with our team, he was actually thinking, "I need to get to know this girl."

Following the meeting our boss took us all to Cafe Gecko for pizza and beer. I got to talk with and get to know my teammates, who at the time I did not realize, would become our lifelong friends. Dan officially introduced himself and we spent some time that night talking and getting to know a little about each other. We became immediate friends. And for a few months, that's exactly how we stayed. We had movie nights at Anthony and Lilia's place and "Lube Late Night" after hours meetings at the QSL bartop with other managers. We just enjoyed being around each other, even if we were at the time seeing other people.

It wasn't more than six months before we realized there was something more between us. We had gotten an invite from our friends Whitney, Brittany, and Mike to join them for the Miller Fortune Launch Party. So Dan, Anthony, and I got dressed up and headed downtown. At the end of the night, Dan walked me to the car. Standing there like two junior high kids, he asked me to be his girlfriend. I didn't know at that moment that nearly eight years later he would ask me to be his wife.

So much has changed over the almost decade we have spent together. We have experienced love and loss. We've traveled the world. Grown distant with friends and made new ones. We've made memories and planned for the future. Its a rare thing in life I think, to find your soulmate in your best friend. We are both lucky and thankful to have found ours in each other. We CAN'T WAIT to celebrate starting our next chapter with all of you. After all, it HAS been eight years ;).

- With Love,

Shlee & Dan

A&D

Wedding Day

Reception