Where Do I Start?

In January 2021, Dylan went out for drinks with friends, one of whom was Shea Hafer. Earlier that day, she had invited me to meet her and her friends, so I decided to join them. We all gathered at Katie O'Keefe's in Missoula. Dylan and I sat across from each other, exchanging only a few words.

After leaving the bar, we headed to Shea’s house, where we played games. As the night wore on, I called an Uber to take me home. Dylan asked if he could share the ride and get dropped off at his place.

Of course, I said yes, and we hopped in. As we explained our drop-off points to the Uber driver, he informed us he did not speak English and, amusingly, decided to take us to my apartment instead. We laughed it off in the backseat, and when we arrived at my place, Dylan and I stood outside chatting until the cold Montana air drove us inside.

We ended up talking in the lobby until 5 a.m., finally saying our goodbyes with a promise to “see you soon.”

A few months later, I ran into Dylan again at Stockman's Bar in Missoula. We chatted all night and eventually found ourselves back at Shea's. The next morning, we decided to go on our first official date at Canyon River Golf Club, where we hit a bucket of balls before Dylan cooked me dinner...salmon, I might add.

In May, I graduated from the University of Montana and prepared to move back home. After saying our goodbyes, I packed up my life and headed to Washington.

Two days later, I received a call from Dylan asking me to come back to Missoula and move in with him. It didn’t take much convincing; I was soon back on I-90.

We settled into a cozy 400-square-foot apartment. It was tight, but we had each other. Dylan graduated in December 2022, and together we began mapping out our future.

We both agreed that Austin, TX, was where we wanted to start our new life. So, we sold our cars, packed our clothes, and let go of almost everything we owned... except, of course, our golf clubs.

After bidding farewell to friends and family, we headed south to Texas. There, we found jobs and an apartment, and we spent the following months with Dylan's family, who quickly became my family, and the new friends we made.

On April 19, 2024, Dylan planned the perfect engagement surprise. He flew both our families out and presented me with the most beautiful ring. Overlooking Lake Travis, I cried tears of joy as we promised to spend our lives together.

This is our story so far, and we know there are countless amazing memories yet to come and love to share.