The best part of a union is finding a best friend - and neither knew that's what they were getting when they met.

Mike and Jessamyn met plenty of times through friends, but didn't make a true connection until one fateful barbecue that found them non-stop talking throughout the night.

While Jessamyn was working a morning radio show, and Mike was working until 2 o'clock every day, they regularly met to kayak on an Edmonds lake, to swim and to enjoy copious amounts of Thai food and sushi.

Their shared love for the outdoors turned into camping trips, exploring the state, the country and traveling internationally.

On one *not such a good idea* kayak drop in at Diablo Lake, Mike and Jess survived quite an adventure that included one lost kayak, one dragged a mile through mountainous woods and a bond for life.

Mike brought her back to that same spot a year later under the pretense of looking for his lost kayak (which had been lodged under a tree in a torrential river). While Jessamyn kept walking and searching, he was looking for a place he could take a knee. At one point, she turned around, wondering why he was trailing - and out he pulled a ring he received from Jessamyn's mother - the one with which he would propose.

Jess's response: "I was always going to."

And that, our friends, is why we are here today. Best friends in life and love!