The First Date: A hike to Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls, located in Index, Washington. After talking on the phone nearly every night for about two weeks, Logan invited Candace to go on a hike she mentioned always wanting to do as their first date. Logan packed a picnic lunch for them to enjoy once they reached the top. Unfortunately he didn’t think through the containers used for the picnic… Packing the lunch into glass containers was a bit heavy for a 7+ mile hike with a pretty significant elevation gain (never did that again). They talked non-stop the whole way up, and once they reached the top they found a good spot to sit and enjoy the view. They even made friends with a little chipmunk who thought the picnic was for him. The date was filled with so much laughter and smiles that their faces hurt by the time they said their goodbyes. To this day, they still laugh at the inside jokes that came from that date. They even started a new tradition of getting trail mix on the way home after every hike they take. It is worth mentioning that trail mix really just means peanut M&M's. Some people thought going on a hike, located more than an hour from home, for a first date was a risky venture. "What if you get half way up the trail and can't stand each other? That would be a long and awkward drive home." Thankfully that was not the case for this couple. Their first date was absolutely perfect. This hike was the starting point of the amazing adventure to come, and Lake Serene has held a significant and special place in their hearts.

The Introduction: After six months of dating, it was time for Logan and Aevrie (Candace's daughter) to finally meet. It was important to them both that they knew things were truly serious before any introductions. By this point Logan and Candace had fallen in love and were excited (and nervous) to see how things would progress once they could all finally be together. From the start Logan and Aevrie have been buddies. Logan already had insights to some of Aevrie's interests, and in many cases served as an interpreter for Candace. The three of them continued to grow as a family ever since. Facing many challenges and difficult times along the way, they always find ways to laugh together.

COVID: Covid hit the Seattle area hard, and things had to change for a bit. Logan and Candace went from seeing each other every day at the office, to video calls and sending photos. At the time, Logan was still partially in the office, while Candace and Aevrie were home full time. Due to that Logan wasn't able to visit as often as Candace would have liked. They all missed each other a lot. Daisy (Aevrie's cat) especially missed Logan! Thankfully it was all temporary and as routines and schedules eventually brought consistency, they were able to find a way to be together and still adhere to the state requirements. Logan was a trouper for always making the hour(ish) drive North, to visit his favorite girls (cat included).

First Camping Trip & Meeting the Gisle Family: Candace is fortunate to live close to where she grew up, surrounded by the majority of her family. Which meant Logan got to meet Candace's parents early on in their relationship. Her mom, Janice, was a fan of Logan from the start. Commenting on how respectful, thoughtful and patient he was. Logan met Candace’s dad and bonded over silly jokes and being playful. But there was still an important event to attend, which was to meet Candace’s paternal side of the family and visit one of her favorite places, Ocean Shores, WA. Candace grew up camping in Ocean Shores where her family has a piece of land that they camp on. So Logan joined the family on their traditional camping trip to the ocean to celebrate the 4th of July. Unfortunately, Aevrie couldn't join this time - she was having fun visiting her dad's family in Idaho for the holiday. Candace loved getting to share this special place with Logan, taking him to all her favorite spots, and watching him getting to know more of her extended family. This was also the ONLY trip Candace has ever forgotten her luggage of clothes at home... If you ever get the chance, you should ask her about hysterical clothing solution - it was truly an adventure and one her family will never let her forget.

The Forced Remodel: Little did they know, their dishwasher would start a multi-year full house remodel and present an opportunity to see how these two would handle completing a large project. There was an unfortunate event with a dishwasher, which lead to two more dishwashers and ending with a leak damaging the whole house (thankfully, not their fault). Candace and Logan created a vision for the home they wanted to have together when Logan one day moved in. With the help of Candace's dad, they rebuilt their home, floor-to-ceiling, literally. While many couples can't manage to put a piece of Ikea furniture together, these two were in sync through the whole process. When Candace would freak out because something wasn't going to plan, Logan would be the voice of reason and helped Candace through. When Logan was over thinking how to complete a task, Candace would encourage him to take a break and come back to it with a rested mind. It wasn’t always sunshine and laughter. Their minds work in very different ways which presented many obstacles resulting in frustration, arguments, and just plain annoyance with each other. But ultimately they worked as a team, learning together. It was clear they had a perfectly balanced partnership. Making up where the other was lacking. Every day they would smile, even when there were tears. Their communication strengthened beyond what it already had been, and they found a new respect for each other. Taking pride in building their home with their own hands. Something that would have broken many couples, only made these two stronger.

Move In Day: Two years of commuting between houses - splitting up time during the week and weekends, Candace and Aevrie were ready for Logan to officially become a full time resident of their home. It didn't take much adjustment at this point, but there were still little things they all figured out. Candace was beyond happy to have Logan home every night, and Logan was excited to be under the same roof as his girls. The amount of laughter, love, and joy in the home has only increased. Not to mention the amount of amazing food consumed... has it been mentioned that Logan is an amazing cook and great baker? He keeps everyone well fed. Which, let's be honest, is really in his best interest with two hangry females in the home. Three if you count the cat.

Officially Meeting the Rich's: Logan grew up in Redding, California, where his parents and sister still reside. So meeting them in person came a while later in their relationship. Thankfully technology offers a lot of solutions and Candace was able to get to know Logan's parents and sister, Breana, over video calls and text messages. In July of 2021 Logan drove Candace and Aevrie the 10+ hours drive to California to spend a week with his family. Candace already felt such a strong connection with Logan's family that it instantly felt like visiting home, even though it was her first time there. Logan's parents, Don and Gail, spoiled them rotten with great food, fun on the lake, visiting some local attractions, and the opportunity to simply relax. Logan hadn't been home for a couple of years and Breana took him and Candace for a drive to show them what was new since he'd last been home. The trip was amazing and everyone was in tears when it came time to head home at the end of the week. Ok... maybe not everyone. But Candace and Gail couldn't make eye contact without tears swelling up, threatening to break their composure. It was a very memorable trip that made Candace and Aevrie feel like they now have another place to call home. Sadly the girls wouldn’t get to meet Logan's brother Travis, or the extended family until November 2022. But they looked forward to getting to meet them in due time.

Engaged: Logan had been prepared to propose for several months, but finding the perfect time was proving to be more of a challenge than he initially thought. Eventually he came to the conclusion that it didn't really matter where or when he proposed. He just wanted Candace to be surprised, and surprised she was! On Saturday October 15th, Candace had to run errands in preparation for a work trip the coming week and her day was not going to plan. She was actually in a pretty bad mood overall and after hours of running around, was ready to come home to Logan and complain about her day before snuggling up on the couch. When Candace arrived at home and walked in the house, arms completely full, she froze as she entered the living room to find Logan down on one knee with a ring box in hand. Candace eventually regained use of her limbs and proceeded to empty the contents of her arms onto the table and stepped up Logan who was slightly shaking with adrenaline, nerves, and excitement. He bared his heart, sharing beautiful words to express his love and desire to marry her. As he spoke, his voice cracked from holding back tears. Every word was perfectly said and was everything Candace could have hoped to hear. Candace, of course, said "Yes!" and they both had happy tears in their eyes. Aevrie, who was at a friend’s house for the night, was the first call they made, followed by each of their parents. Over the next couple of days they shared the happy news with extended family and friends.

House Painting: Thanks to an overzealous HOA, we had no choice but to paint their house. After finding out how much it would cost to have it professionally done, they decided to do it all themselves. Logan's parents even lent them a airless paint sprayer to make it go quicker, but the project was still much bigger than expected. The house is roughly 35 years old and has never been repainted. Living in an area that has a lot of moisture, and being exposed to a lot of direct sunlight (when there is sun that is), the existing paint was severely damaged. Before they could even being to paint, they had to strip, sand, and prime nearly 80% of the house. They also had to power wash the whole house, replace several pieces of trim and fill multiple holes, and of course cover and tape off all the windows and doors. After two months of prep they finally were ready to paint the house, only to find out the paint sprayer was not working and we had to go rent one. If there is one thing Candace really dislikes doing, it is painting. And painting the outside was even worse. She was beyond done with the project after the first week. Logan, being Logan, was the master of zen through the whole thing. He balanced out Candace's overwhelmed mind beautifully. The two worked as a great pair through the whole process. It was just another demonstration of their ability to effectively communicate, support each other, and accomplish a goal.

The Long Year: 2023 was a long, challenging year for the family. In addition to having to paint the house in the summer, Candace's grandfather was diagnosed with a terminal illness, Aevrie was struggling with severe anemia and other health conditions, and Aevrie had to prepare for her father's impending passing. Thankfully Aevrie’s dad received a needed transplant at the very last moment, but not before she had to say her goodbyes and start processing what it all really meant. The year had been an emotional roller coaster for both girls and many days were filled with tears. Through it all, Logan was a pillar of strength and support. He always ensured they had a safe emotional space to have every felling without guilt or embarrassment. He was strong for them so they could be vulnerable and brittle. Constantly showing love and care for them both, while he navigated his own feelings of the changes happening. Candace had never felt so loved or cared for. Watching Logan stoically ache over the pain Aevrie was experiencing, knowing he couldn't take the pain away, showing a protective paternal love for her, made Candace fall even more in love with him. When Candace's grandfather was in his final days, Logan engulfed Candace with love. The way he was there for her and her family meant so much to them all. Although it was a challenging year, they found opportunities to make so many new memories, explore new things, and found laughter every single day. Logan's brother Travis came to visit them in Spring, Breana and her partner joined Logan's parents for a summer time visit, and they spent a lot of time with amazing friends. This couple, this little family, is by far rich in laughter, rich in love, and now its time to both be Rich in name!