Kelly and I met while we were both attending NAU. We met at a Halloween party hosted by one of her friends and now bridesmaid Megan (Twix). We spent part of the night bonding over what we believe was a drawing of a dog on the bar menu, although it could have been a very poorly drawn spooky person.... naturally, being Kelly, this led to her showing me photos of her parents lab back home and bonding over our mutual love of dogs.

Over the years we have both grown and changed both individually and together, and I couldn't imagine a better person to build a life with. We just bought our first house together down in Phoenix - finally getting a yard for our dog like I always promised her I would - and while the summers may be brutally hot we both are incredibly happy with the house and the area we bought in.

While things haven't always been as easy as talking about dogs at a bar - starting with spending our summers apart while Kelly worked at a girl scout camp, and eventually leading to us living in separate cities for a couple of years while I made a last minute career change and attended a trade school in Flagstaff - knowing that we always have each other to come home to and cheer us up has allowed us to get through any challenge that our lives have put in front of us. Now Kelly is loving the school where she teaches at, and I am able to enjoy the travel and freedom my work schedule allows me. In the summers we both enjoy getting up north to go camping and kayaking to get a break from the heat, as well as both being equally happy just being a homebody and taking naps with our dog. We are both looking forward to our future together and are excited to be on this journey together.