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Brian and Kimberly had been introduced once before meeting again

in July '17, there have been multiple versions of the story and plenty of

embellishments. B is a fisherman, so it comes naturally, and Kimberly being

raised by bull haulers, windy tales are a specialty.

Picture it the summer of 2017......

Brian’s version:

As a true fisherman and outdoorsman my version of our story may include some slight embellishments or a little stretching of the truth.

I first came across Kimberly at one of my favorite local watering holes. It was summer, the week of the 4th, the 3rd of July to be exact. She was sitting across the bar beside two friends of mine and caught my attention. I decided to go and talk to her, we had a fairly good conversation with some harmless banter the ended up in saying I would see her on the sandbar the next day. I didn’t make it to the sand bar, but for a while later that night I had her believing that she had just overlooked me, and I had in fact been out there.

I noticed she seemed interested but hesitant, so for the next several years, 4 or so, I threw everything in the tackle box at her waiting for the bite. My rugged good looks didn’t hook line and sinker, so I tried my charm and humor. Though those altogether seemed to keep her interested, I still had no bite to reel in. In fisherman fashion, persistence, and several different presentations, kept me trying to get her hooked. I had many chances with hanging out amongst mutual friends to becoming good friends spending time just us, that everything came together.

We spent so much time together that Kimberly lowered her guard and allowed me to meet her boys. This, for me, was the beginning of becoming our family. Three years and some change together, I surprised her one evening at home when she opened the door arms full of groceries, ready to read me the riot act for not coming out to help, I was on one knee in a swirl of dog hair with a ring in my hand.

She said yes among some other things and that is all I could ask for.

Kimberly’s version:

When I tell the story, there is a lot of details, lots of wind and lots of turn backs because I forgot to say something that was “super” important to how it all played out.

That July 2017 holiday wasn’t mine to have the boys, I ended up going with friends to the infamous Chuckwagon downtown Fort Pierre. Closing the night with just “one more” a couple of guys busted through the door. I made a funny comment about them, and it led to them bellying up next to me at the bar. After a while another of their friends came in across the bar, I recognized him from a mutual friend introduction a few years before. It didn’t take long before he came over introduced himself with his given nickname to which I made fun of. We spent the rest of the night throwing sarcastic banter back and forth. I mentioned being on the sandbar the next day because that is what you do on the 4th in a river town apparently, he said he’d be there, and I went home knowing I’d be searching for this “Biggie” to prove his statement wrong.

The rest of the week went with running into each other at various places and resuming the same playful sarcastic banter every chance we got. I started relying on him to be the guy that stepped in when creeps looked my way. Though he had me believing, for only a SHORT time, he’d been at the sandbar that day he indeed had not been, and I called him on it minute I saw him later that night.

This continued for the next 4 years or so with spending time with mutual friends. I had come to know Brian’s older sister Renee to find out we both had Wyatt Lanes, Wyatt had been with Brian on the 4th and became a person of my tribe. One night I told him I needed his uncle’s number, and that little devil gave it right up without any hesitation. Once I had his number the poor guy was stuck. If I wasn’t calling him to see what the nights plans were, I was calling him to ask him to take me fishing or to the country. He became my best friend guy. I’d laugh when people would suggest we just date already, my response always “we are really good friends, that isn’t something I want to lose”. One night I just decided that I was going to call him to see a movie.

When I decided to introduce my boys to Brian, that was it, I knew that I would never spend another day without him. Three years and some change later, I came home arm full of groceries, a soaked rat, weirdly not upset he hadn’t come to help, and found him on knee in the middle of the living room. “Really with my arms full of shit?” I wasn’t even upset saying it but more annoyed like I would have liked to have been a little more movie scene about it. Once grocery free I did say yes and was happy that I’d have this “so us” story to tell about the day he asked.

Q + A

How far is the ceremony location from Fort Pierre?

Is there a meal planned before or with the reception?