The Start...

Our love story began in summer 2021 how most modern love stories begin, by “swiping right” on a dating app. Our first date included dinner and drinks in downtown Woodstock. From our shared interests in cooking and spending time outdoors, as well as our careers in STEM, conversation flowed easily. After our third date, hiking Yonah Mountain and getting stranded all day at a winery due to a broken-down car, we saw how each other "rolled with the punches" and made fun of a less than ideal situation.

The In Between...

We experienced a multitude of days outdoors together including hiking throughout north Georgia, camping trips with friends, jet skiing and paddle boarding on local lakes, as well as going to Atlanta sporting events. We have had various cooking adventures together including making homemade sushi, attending a cooking class preparing authentic Pad Thai, weekly homemade "pizza Fridays," as well as working our way through a cookbook.

In addition to testing our culinary skills at home, we spent several nights learning new dance styles with Youtube lessons and Spotify playlists. Kristen encouraged Derek to follow his desire to rescue a pup, and he did so after meeting Sid (Bogey) in spring of 2022. We have been lucky to travel to nearly a dozen states together as well as one international trip to Aruba with Kristen's family in January of 2023.

The Proposal...

Derek and Kristen started 2023 with a "wild hare" to plan a trip, and after some research, they landed on a national park trip throughout Utah for May of 2023. This trip included picking up a camper van in Las Vegas and travelling over ​900 miles through 5 national parks finishing in Salt Lake City. We entered a lottery and were chosen to hike Angels Landing in Zion National Park the first morning of the trip. Angel's Landing is rated one of the most dangerous hikes in the nation, so there was some uneasiness and anticipation to make it to the top (including a special package Derek had tucked away in a secret pocket of his pack). After eating a picnic lunch and taking in the views, Derek set up his tripod and tricked Kristen into posing for a picture, while sneaking behind her and popping the question. They proceeded to spend the week facing their first test at forever, travelling the remaining hundreds of miles (and sleeping in a 12 foot camper van) while making unforgettable memories along the way.

We could not be more excited to celebrate our love and marriage with our loved ones in fall 2024!