Matt and I met in October of 2020. Covid was in full swing, so it definitely made meeting somewhat risky! Luckily, we figured out pretty quickly that we wouldn’t mind being in each other’s bubbles.

On a cold December night, we bundled up, grabbed a couple quilts, and headed to Smithville Lake to watch a meteor shower. While we had planned to take Matt's new Tiguan with a panoramic moon roof, we found it with a screw in one of its tires and took Ruby the Subi instead. Since Ruby lacked the panoramic moon roof, we ended up lying down on the cold pavement and huddling closely for warmth. It was an enchanting evening—one for the books.

We shared a love for trying new things together, and doing whatever we could to still experience the world while it was mostly shut down. Given that it was winter, it meant a lot of cold dates outside—like Powell Gardens' Festival of Lights.

When life gives you snow, make snowmen and snow angels. After getting snowed in at Rachel's house in Roeland Park on New Year's Day, 2021, we made snowmen and snow angels in her front yard!

Rachel met Matt’s kiddos for the first time! This is, oddly enough, an actual picture of that first meeting. Rachel was introduced to the game of Alhambra, and Maddy, Jonathan, and Benjamin were introduced to Rachel’s chocolate chip cookies!

We started a tradition of playing pickleball at Chicken-N-Pickle monthly with Rachel's Dad, brother, and sister-in-law. It was a good workout and a great time, if a bit harsh on Rachel's hip! (to be continued...)

Our first road trip was a weekend getaway to Bentonville, Arkansas! We loved the Crystal Bridges Museum of Art, downtown Bentonville, and the bike-friendly everything, everywhere!

Family gathering with Matt’s mom’s side of the family in Warsaw, Missouri

Matt and Rachel took a big leap and decided to enter the fray of the crazy housing market! They closed and moved into their first home together Memorial Day weekend of 2021.

Pie-baking season began as soon as we moved into the new (century-plus-old) house, with buckets full of fresh cherries from our cherry tree. The boys craved the cherries and enjoyed learning from one of the best how to turn them into pie.

We love concerts, rain or shine! This Bluegrass at the Bottoms festival at Grinders KC in the Crossroads was our first concert together.

Our first BIG road trip was to Utah to explore Bryce Canyon (pictured here) and Zion National Parks with Rachel's dad, brother, and sister-in-law. Both were epic. At Bryce Canyon, we rode horses and mules through the canyon and hiked till we could barely stand.

On day three of our first long road trip, we visited the massive Zion National Park on a very hot Utah day. We got an early start, hiking two hours out to Observation Point for the best panoramic view of the canyon. It was spectacular and breath-taking.

Rachel pulled out all the stops planning Matt's 40th birthday party: first visiting the Westport Art Fair, grabbing lunch, and proceeding to three micro-distilleries before reaching the grand finale—a surprise party at J. Rieger & Co., with a bunch of Matt's friends, a tour, tasting, Q39 BBQ, and plenty of whiskey to go around! She even had custom t-shirts made to commemorate the day!

Our third long road trip of the year was to Jackson, WY for her best friend (and Matron of Honor) Cindy's wedding! While there, we took advantage of the opportunity to visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The trip was magical.

Kaleo live at The Midland—what else needs to be said?! He rocked. Tremendous night. One of the best!

SHE SAID, "YES"! On her birthday, in the place we first met, Theis Park, after a picnic lunch, Matt asked Rachel to be his forever dahling—and she gladly obliged! After enjoying the moment, we headed home, cleaned ourselves up, and went out to Tailleur on Main to celebrate!

After getting engaged, we celebrated even more with another weekend getaway to NW Arkansas, this time hiding out in a cabin, hiking, and chasing waterfalls along the Buffalo River Valley.

COWORKERS! Rachel joined Joseph, Hollander & Craft, the law firm where Matt worked and still works as marketing manager, establishing the firm's family law practice on the Kansas side of the KC Metro. Matt and Rachel love commuting together to work and having lunch together most days!

FIRST FAMILY VACAY! Our first vacation with the kids was a Whitsitt Family Vacation to Branson, MO, where we stayed at a lakeside resort, went boating, and spent a day at White Water water park.

GRAND CANYON SPRING BREAK! Our first major vacation was an eight-day road trip to Williams, AZ to experience the Grand Canyon. The trip was certainly eventful: getting blocked by snow from reaching our first overnight destination, then getting stuck in deep mud in pitch darkness in the driveway of our Airbnb cabin in Williams when we finally arrived at midnight on day two. The canyon was unquestionably grand. We got lots of great photos and hiked down (with ice cleats, because snow!) and out. We learned a lot, saw a lot, and forged a lot of great memories.

Rachel bought herself a nice Gazelle e-bike from Midwest Cyclery, which she has loved since the moment she brought it home. Our first ride with it was up to Cliff Drive with Matt's friend Ryan. Though she may look adorable on it, she will leave you in the dust with that powerful motor!

COLORADO HIKING! As a graduation and 18th birthday gift to Maddy, we took her on an adventure to beautiful Colorado. Though heavy snow prevented her and Matt from fulfilling their original plan of backpacking from Aspen to Crested Butte over one of the Maroon Bells mountain passes, they still did plenty of quality hiking in the areas surrounding both idyllic mountain towns during peak flower season. Rachel's uncle Tim and aunt Jacque graciously hosted us at their home in Basalt and offered indispensable guidance in preparing for the mountain hikes.

NEW HIP DAY! I guess we played too much pickleball and hiked too many canyons and mountains, because Rachel needed—and got—a new hip last fall. Recovery was relatively long and tough, but she's much better now! One down, one to go...

ANOTHER SUPER BOWL?! Here in KC, we've been spoiled by the Mahomes Era of Chiefs football. Her dad is always glad to host our Super Bowl watch parties and Rachel is always delighted to hold her niece (much more so than watching the game)!