Quinn's story may or may not include dramatization*

As Brett and I harmonized various hip-hop songs from the early 2000s, a loud metal bang would erupt from the Strauss kitchen door. There she stood, her piercing green eyes staring straight into my soul. "Are you guys having fun?!", Brett and I looked at each other, "We're always having fun Chelsea" I replied. Unamused, she marched over to the line and glared at a spicy ranch sitting nicely upon its serving dish. "Would this happen to be the ranch that I'm missing?" she questioned. "S-sure is" I replied with a smile. Chelsea reciprocated with a fake smile of her own and ran back out the same door she kicked open.

A year later I would find myself out on the town with some old coworkers from Karl Strauss. 'Twas a warm early summer evening and I had not seen these friends in quite some time as I had left the company in other pursuits. As I arrived at the Coin-Op, I scanned around to find my friends. Little did I know that my eyes would find Ms. Chelsea first in the crowded bar. I began to move through the crowd when I was intercepted by none other than Brett Hallagan, my old kitchen karaoke partner. After a welcoming hug, more familiar faces started to show within the crowd. Although the first to be spotted, Chelsea would be the last to greet. Her face was innocent, friendly, and what seemed to be, happy to see me. I'll admit there was a puzzled look on my face when I received such a greeting from her. Most of the time it was a scorning of forgotten ranch or forgetting to refill a glass rack. The confusion would be short-lived as a beer would be handed to me as a start to the evening.

As the night continued, I found myself conversing more and more with Chels. Outside of work, she was actually very sweet and we shared a lot of the same world views. After one of the many conversations, I went to fetch us another round of beers at the bar. As I waited for the bartender's attention, a familiar voice snuck his way to next me. "So you and Chels getting along huh?" Brett questioned. A bashful smile would be my initial response, "Who would have thought" I finally laughed. With beverages received, we made our way back to the group who seemed to be excited about something. It seemed that the consensus would be that we would go dance next door after these drinks. Little did I know that next door would be a whirlwind of shots and dance. Obviously, the rest of the night got a bit fuzzy.

Before I knew it, I "knew it". I was seeing Chelsea almost every day and telling her I loved her, moving across the country with her, exploring DC with her, watching her graduate grad school, exploring the globe with her, moving back across the country with her, proposing to her, buying a house with her, marrying her, raising kids with her, and ultimately enjoy the rest of my life with her.

I honestly don't know where the time has gone. Loving Chels for the past 5 years has been the most meaningful in my entire existence. I'm excited for this wedding and the love that it celebrates. Even more, I'm excited to spend the rest of my life with Chels.