Although I knew Larry was a friend of Mike's I would have never imagined almost 16 years after meeting, we would be engaged. That's probably because I don't even remember meeting him the first time in 2005 lol. He swears that he and Mike came to a basketball game with Rachel and I at IUPUI, but that part is a bit fuzzy for me. I do remember meeting him again while hanging out with Rachel and Mike in Indianapolis, a couple years later. We hadn't even had a full conversation at this point, nor had we ever exchanged numbers..... so clearly we weren't on each other's radars. I don't recall crossing paths for the next several years. Then fast forward to 2015: the night of Mike and Rachel's wedding rehearsal. Larry was definitely looking handsome, so I jokingly mentioned it to Rachel. She then tells me that Larry was also checking me out. At this point it was a mutual attraction! The next day at the wedding we were flirting the entire time, from the wedding shuttle all the way to the post-wedding after party. And the rest is history...he was in love haha.

In all seriousness, we've had to maintain our relationship after 5 years of long distance dating, his sacrifice relocating to Fort Wayne, transferring jobs, and buying a home together in the midst of all of this.

It's definitely been an adventurous 6 years, but I am so proud of us for overcoming all of our obstacles for our ultimate goal of marriage!

Want to hear a great love story? Good! Because I have one, like a really good one! So let me tell you about it.

I met Toots the first time back in 2005, December I believe. Me and Mike went to IUPUI and we met up with her and Rachel. There wasn't much interaction between us, but for some reason that memory stuck with me. We wouldn't see each other again until September 2014. Just like before, there wasn't much there. But you know what they say, 3rd time's the charm! Our 3rd meeting was August 2015 during the weekend of Mike and Rachel's wedding. I really can't explain what it was, but things were just different that time. The attraction was stronger, the interest was higher, the connection was as if we had already formed a friendship.

From that weekend forward, we began dating long distance as she was in Fort Wayne and I was still in Gary. It was tough and challenging, but she was worth every trip taken and every mile driven. I realized quickly that this was something real, something special, something to hold on to. For the next 4yrs and 3 months we formed a friendship/relationship that carried us through several ups and downs. Happy to say there was plenty more ups than downs. Then in November 2019, I moved to Fort Wayne, transferred job locations, and we bought our 1st house together.

Now here we are, with nearly 6yrs in the rear view and a lifetime ahead of us, and I'm looking forward to every single day!