Hi everyone, Allison here. If someone asked me, or most people in her life, what their favorite memory with Leah is, I’d put money on the fact that most answers would include cozy clothes, the outdoors, and some REALLY yummy food. So, the fact that this story (which is one of my favorite memories) opens with Leah and I in a crowded bar past 10pm is probably a surprise to all. Leah is many things, but above all, she is an incredible friend. This in itself is the reasoning behind why we were standing on the curb in downtown Richmond at 1am.

Friday, July 26th, 2019 was my birthday - I don’t know about any of you, but I will get unreasonably excited about my birthday until I’m 100 years old. So, Leah telling me on the way back from dinner that night that she didn’t feel like going downtown and would prefer to go home was NOT going to fly with me. Leah and my friendship is something that is indescribable - she’ll be one of my best friends forever don’t get me wrong - but it’s a different type of friendship that includes two extremely passionate, strong minded, and stubborn people who usually like to get their own way. We laugh about this a lot and sometimes both wish we were a little less headstrong, but fortunately for both of us, this is not one of those times I wish I was less demanding. She finally agreed to come out for my birthday and ended up meeting her husband, so you’re welcome @Leah. Anyway, it’s 1am Friday night and Leah and I are waiting on the curb because it’s too sweaty and hot to function in the bar. While we’re deciding what our next move is, Leah catches a glimpse of an absolute HEART throb only footsteps away from us. “Do you see that guy over there? He was definitely in my finance class last semester.” After hearing that comment I quickly decided there was no way we were leaving that curb until Leah walked over to him. She obviously refuses - tbh I think anyone that willingly approaches a stranger without fear of rejection is a psychopath so I allowed it - but lucky for her he was thinking the same thing and started walking over. She whips her head around to stare at me and pretend we’re in the deepest conversation of our lives, but then gets a tap on her shoulder only to turn around and face who would come to be the love of her life.

Kenny and his friends join Leah and our friends to walk to another bar (that’s right - it was 1am and Leah cheerfully suggests we go to ANOTHER bar… I should’ve known right then and there this was end game), and they have a lovely evening of small talk, awkward flirting, and of course their best friends Andrew and me mere footsteps away, acting like their bodyguards since we were so nosily excited. At this point it’s almost 2am, so we part ways and head home. It only took minutes for us all to have “Kenny Meyer” blasted in our social media search bars, start excitedly recapping the night, and for Leah to receive a “nice chatting with you tonight!” text message from Kenny.

It was also only a matter of days for Kenny to ask Leah on a good old fashioned first date, with it being his last week interning in Richmond, like the true gentleman that he is. Anyone that’s been on a first date knows that immediately following the excitement comes nerves like no other. So that being said, the entire day on August 4th was full of “I can’t go”’s, “I’m going to throw up”, “This is horrible” and of course the trusty old “Do you think he’d notice if you went instead of me?” texts. I came over to Leah’s apartment to help her get ready, which consisted of 5+ outfit changes and about 100 made up scenarios of how the date might go - seriously, we mapped out every move anyone could possibly make that evening as if we were planning to steal the Declaration of Independence. We also spent 20 minutes discussing how to appear “chill” so when Kenny saw me leaving at the same time as them he wouldn’t know it was because I needed to use a hair dryer to blow the wet spot out of our carefully picked yellow shorts.

This story is long and it may seem unnecessary to read all of the little bits and pieces of Kenny and Leah’s first 8 days together, but to Leah and I those have always been what mattered most. Days after Kenny and Leah’s first date, I took a one way flight to Boston and had one of the hardest goodbye’s of my life. All I had to hang on to during the days and weeks that followed while we were 473 miles apart were the little things in their continually growing love story - the Snapchat of the outfit choice before what would be their first kiss, the chaotically excited Facetime’s on the way home from a really good date, and then eventually the image of Kenny on my Facetime screen driving home with a tiny ring box in his hand. I can’t wait to see all of the big stuff Kenny and Leah accomplish together and the huge milestones they will celebrate, but I’m even more excited for a lifetime full of the little things and to be consistently blown away by their love for one another.

Registry