Parker & Chris
Parker & Chris
Chris's Side:
I would like the record to show that I’ve always been a fan of Parker Shepherd. Our paths first cross in 2015, both of us high schoolers with growing to do and lessons to learn. Even still, I appreciated her outspoken nature and strong advocacy for her peers. Proximity, time, and our own personal changes would bring us together in 2017 as close friends. A drum corps season of near inseparability might have been an indication, my own oblivion would prevent anything from developing. Maybe it was my own lack of confidence but I was unaware that anyone could actually want to be with me in a romantic capacity. Our convergence, however, could not be stopped. February of 2018, hunkered down in a house in Franklin Tennessee during a winter storm, something changed in me. Parker Shepherd was not only my friend, but something more meaningful. Winter would pass, and with the spiring, our relationship would grow as well. We talked every day, all the time. I couldn’t move forward though, for fear of ruining one of my dearest friendships. (It also did not help that she didn’t notice when I got a drastic haircut, surely she would notice if she liked me right?)
But the summer would come and Parker and I would spend nearly every waking moment together. We walked to meals together, we walked to block together, we slept near each other, but neither of us would make the move. Finally, one day in Ohio, someone asked me what was going on between the two of us. I didn’t have a good answer, so I decided it was time to set things straight. “Are we talking” is the grand line I came up with. The answer, however, was yes, and perhaps a little more than that. That night we would solidify that we were going to be more than a drum corps fling. From that day forward, we were inseparable. Where she went, I went, and where I went, she went.
It been the same way since then. We’ve been through long distance, medium distance, and now, very close distance. Parker is still my best friend. From the mountains of North Carolina to the banks of the Ohio River in Paducah Kentucky, and now to Music City, Nashville Tennessee. “Where you go, I go” she always said. Off to the Scottish Highlands to get married.
Parker's Side:
The year was 2015: I am not sure if it was after January Camp or February Camp for Music City Drum Corps, but Laura, my mother, asked me if I had "noticed a guy in the euphonium section who looked like he was 30 years old with a full beard?" "I said "no." Apparently, his mom volunteered at that camp and this guy who looked 30 going on 40 had only just turned 16 and she enjoyed hanging out with his mom and was glad that he had a contract and that his mom would be around that summer.
Fast Forward to Summer 2015: This whole summer I have tried to black out. But, some of what I remember was talking to my friends about who was sitting with who was on the bus. Eight of us, including Chris, were up at the front of the bus - and by the end of the summer, the 8 of us had all moved around, and our Friend, Garrett (or Karen), was sitting with Chris, and I had ended up with who Chris started with. I am not sure if Chris and I even had a conversation that summer, but going back through my photos, I have our first photo. A selfie with our friend Jeremiah asleep in the seat beside me and Chris peeping his head between the seats.
Summer 2016: I am also not sure if we talked this summer. Toward the end, we started speaking more and realized that we would probably work out as friends. We both quite enjoyed "da orb" which was a big shiny ball another corps was using as a prop. After Open Class Finals retreat we snapped a photo with "da orb".
Somewhere in the fall 2016 or winter 2017: Chris and I started Snapchatting (a very crucial part of our relationship - Snap Chat). I decided that I liked Chris. But, I had not planned on marching the 2017 Drum Corps Season. I had gotten a job and was going to work...
Summer 2017: Yeah, so I obviously ended up quitting my job marching MCDC 2017, and that was the best decision of my life. I had visited the corps to watch a full ensemble rehearsal and noticed there were several holes and of course, I sent an email and 2 days later was moving into Smyrna High School. Chris and I had still been snap chatting, and I was still hopelessly in love with him, and he had no clue. So - I decided to do the only logical thing. Where Chris went - so did I . After meals - Chris went to lay down, I was sitting beside his bed. He decided to eat in the sun and not the shade - I was in the sun right beside him. Quickly we built a great group of friends and that summer our little clique was inseparable. We all sat near each other on the bus - but Chris and I were seat partners. Eventually, I decided I was "friend zoned" and when the seat opened up in front of me and Chris I moved into my own seat.
Fall 2017 through Spring 2018: Chris and I still kept up with each other and "snapped" but it was less. I was ready for my sophomore year of college and a hot girl fall! Yeah, that didn't last. So anyways, January camp for the 2018 season rolled around, and a winter storm was coming to Franklin. My mom and Chris's mom decided to head down to Franklin a day early so they did not have to drive through the winter storm. Kim and Laura got a hotel room, and from the hotel, Chris and I went to have a sleepover with our friends Jeremiah and Patrick. The 4 of us caught up, and it was nice to be around Chris again. In April 2018, Chris kept tagging me on our "Muscle City" Facebook group to work out. Chris had no idea what was happening in my personal life and that I was in a bad place. I texted him and told him to stop tagging me to work out because I couldn't handle it. He said sorry and he was there for me if I needed someone to talk to. Two days later, Laura came to Cullowhee to pull me out of my funk. She told me (in nicer words) to get over myself, and I was not allowed to sulk. Get out of my room and be around people. That night I snap-chatted Chris to tell him that I was single and he could start tagging me in the Facebook group to work out - and have talked every day since.
Early Summer and Spring Training 2018: Chris and I were talking all day, every day on Snapchat. I wasn't thinking anything of it - I thought I was friend zoned and had made peace with that (so I thought). To be friends was better than not being anything? Right before we moved in on Memorial Day Weekend, I thought "maybe this is something?...maybe he does like me?" So I tried to get him to invite me on his family's sailboat. I would ask, "What are you doing tomorrow?" He would say, "Going sailing with my family" I would be like, "Oh! I love lakes, I love water and being in the sun!" And he would say something like, "yeah, that's cool, me too" he wasn't picking up on the hint. At one point, I tweeted about how I wished I could be on a boat, thinking Chris would see it and invite me to go sailing! No. Instead - Patrick saw it and invited Jeremiah and me down to his dad's boat in Mississippi. Not exactly what I had planned - but it was a great trip. Chris and I were still "snapping" until we moved into East Hickman High School and had no cell service…but that was ok because now we saw each other in person. Spring training went on, I had a leg injury that was pretty ouchie, it was hot, drum corps blah blah…I was back to thinking, “ok Chris has definitely friend-zoned me.” But at this point, he was one of my best friends in drum corps. I kept up my tactic of "Joe Bidening” him. Where he went, went. I teased him for being slow to meals after block - taking his sweet time. After he showered and came upstairs, I was already sitting beside his bed talking to “Da Boys”. I don’t know. But - It didn’t feel forced it felt natural like if I wasn’t there, it would be weird. We were friends - best friends, and he wanted me there which was a new concept for me.
Summer Tour 2018: Chris and I were seat partners with our good friends Will and Sarah directly behind us. Couldn’t have asked for a better setup! We were in Portsmouth, Ohio. Earlier that day I was texting my best friend Kathryn saying “Yeah, Chris and I will just be friends and that’s fine. He is the kindest person I have ever met, and I wasn’t going to ruin our friendship over my liking him." I was lying down between blocks, and Chris walks in and laid his head on my back (think upper case “T”). I would have given anything to see my face at that moment. I am sure my eyebrows shot to the top of my forehead, and I looked so surprised and confused. “What does this mean?!?!” I thought the rest of the day. We had never like “touched” Besides a farewell hug or high-five or one time he helped me put on my shoe? I was so confused. Later I believe it was during EPL (leaving the school - going to the next place) Patrick came over and said, “Parker - we need to set up Chris and another girl” I looked at him for what felt like forever and said “No Patrick. I can’t do that because I like Chris.” He looked at me and said “Oh!” And walked away. That was the first person in our group that I had told. Well. It was out now.
The same night - on the bus: I get a text from Chris. He is lying on the floor of the bus because we slept like little bunk beds in our seats. “Chelsea asked me if we were still “talking”.” My first thought was “what if he means like talking as in like normal talking like speaking not like the “talking talking” that is correlated with the start of relationships? So I replied “You and Chelsea?” He said, “ No, You and I.” “Oh?” “Yeah”…So after that, I still probed on what he thought talking meant and was sending screenshots to my Cathrine, who was also showing Juliet, Kathryn, and I am not sure who else? But we got to the housing site, and I was not done talking, but Chris being the goodie goodie he is, didn’t want to get caught past lights out. He was right. So instead, we kept texting and trying to decide if we were a couple. I was reading all of these out loud to Sarah, who made it clear she was listening, but her eyes were closed if she fell asleep, then it is what it is. I respect that. But anyways - I made it clear that if we were a “thing,” then it was not just a “summer thing”. I liked him too much, and I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. And besides, I always made fun of the drum corps couples who were just summer flings. So, the next night I made the move and kissed him first. We held hands (ew). Hung out on the 4th of July and a laundry block. It was the same thing we had been doing - but it was more relaxed because I wasn’t trying to hide the fact that I liked him.
I don’t remember the day: but Patrick told me to “Tell your boyfriend..”I stopped him and said, “No no! He is not my boyfriend we have not used that vocabulary!”. Again still on the “I could ruin this at any second, and then our friend group would be torn, and I would be heartbroken.” So, that night at snack, I saw Chris standing by himself at the same time Patrick noticed. We both bee-lined for Chris, and I won. Hooked my arm around his and said, “Let’s take a walk!”. I said something like, “I like you - you like me?” he, of course, said, “Yeah”…” So we are like…officially boyfriend girlfriend.” Don’t worry, friends, if you’re reading this and thought “cringe” - It felt cringe coming out of my mouth. But of course, he said yes.
After the San Antonio free day…After, we sprinted to the bus because we went to the wrong location and almost missed “butts in seats,” but to be precise - we didn’t: We were sweaty, breathing hard, and laughing because someone had put a Lightning McQueen hat on Chris’s head, and he looked absolutely ridiculous. Out of nowhere, in the middle of all of that, Chris said, “I love you.” We had been dating for less than a month, and we hadn’t told either of our parents, but he said I love you. It was quick - but so correct. And I said “I love you” right back.
And folks…the rest is history! In November 2018, we were at an MCDC audition camp in Knoxville, and he said, “I love you, and I am going to love you forever.” I know myself too well and said, “woah buddy - you can’t say forever if you don’t mean it because I will get my hopes up if it’s not forever.” And he said, “I’m going to love you forever.” We did long distance for about a year which was fine. It wasn’t ideal, but we made it work. We both moved to Nashville in August of 2019 and during Covid-19, Mike and Kim basically let me live at their home in Paducah so Chris and I could be together. In August of 2022, we moved in together and got engaged! Stay tuned for what’s next…..
