How do you summarize a story that's almost a decade long?

We met in December 2015. We grew up in neighboring towns with one of the oldest high school rivalries in the nation. Despite living only minutes from each other most of our lives, we first met after Jared had moved away. I was a senior in high school, and Jared, a freshman in college, was home for winter break.

We met by fluke. A mutual friend introduced us, but not like introduced us. Our friend invited Jared over while we were hanging out because I had to head home soon, and the night was still young. We were in the same room for maybe ten minutes. Love at first sight? Not quite, more like "Oh wow, he's cute, we should make this happen again." So that's what I did. Every chance I got, I was bugging my friend to invite Jared along for the rest of winter break.

(Thank you, Nate. We will forever be grateful for your unwitting match-making skills.)

A week or so into my scheme he asked me out to dinner and a movie. We saw quite possibly the worst first date movie in recent history, Quinton Tarantino's Hateful Eight, followed by delicious Middle Eastern food. Apparently, a three-hour movie and dinner weren't enough because we ended up back at Jared's parents' house watching Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox (probably because we knew we needed something cuter to re-watch on future anniversaries). We saw each other several more times before winter break was over. Then began the distance.

At first, neither of us were sure of what we were. We obviously liked each other, but enough to start a long-distance relationship after just two weeks? That would be stupid, right? Right, so naturally, that's exactly what we did. Long-distance relationships are hard. College relationships are hard. Long-distance-college relationships are hard. We got to see each other for a week or so, about every three months. You know the old adage, "Right person, wrong time." A year in, we broke up and tried dating other people. That went about as well as one might expect. Ultimately, we decided to try and make it the right time. Our second start had the added benefit of almost two years of a relationship based solely on communication.

During that time, I had been exploring the idea of transferring to a larger university. I wanted more options than what was available at my small school. Transferring to the University of Illinois was the best decision I ever made for myself, and it came with the opportunity to spend one year together in the same place.

That year together was exactly what we wanted through all the years of distance: humdrum normalcy. We cooked dinners together, squeezed in lunch dates between classes, hung out with friends, had movie nights, walked around campus…just enjoyed being able to see each other’s faces in person each day. That school year went by in a flash; Jared graduated in May 2019 and was off to Boeing, St. Louis, to work as a thermal engineer. This time, the distance was tolerable. St. Louis to Champaign when you have a car and money for a Greyhound ticket is much different than Champaign to Stevens Point.

He would drive to campus regularly, and I would bus over whenever possible, seeing each other at least once a month. I was set to graduate in May of 2020…I bet you can guess this next part. I went home for spring break and never returned to in-person classes. I finished senior year from my bedroom and graduated from my back deck…I had to ask my neighbor to stop mowing his lawn so we could hear my name announced on the Zoom call. After almost three months of not leaving my house or seeing anyone besides my parents in person, I met Jared on campus, and we emptied out my apartment to move me to St. Louis.

Our first apartment together was a 110-year-old building in the heart of our favorite neighborhood, Tower Grove South, a block away from incredible international restaurants (one of which you will be enjoying at the wedding) and four blocks away from the park we would grow so attached to. We lived there for two years and continued to grow as individuals and as a couple. While there, we rescued our first dog, Cedar, literally off the street we lived on and went through the heartbreak of losing him much too soon. We achieved promotions and new jobs as we grew our careers. We adopted our actual human child, Cricket, who is honored at our wedding as “the best boy”. On New Year’s Eve (day) 2021, while walking through the Missouri Botanical Garden, Jared got down on one knee, under the national champion white basswood tree, and asked me to marry him. I was so in shock at his ability to pull off surprising me that I loudly exclaimed, “You’re not doing this,” as he knelt down, to which he responded, “oh yes, I am”.

Our engagement was quickly followed by purchasing our first house, where we have been since April 2022. On December 17th, 2022, we stood under our favorite tree in our favorite park and were legally married. It was a perfectly clear day with frigid winds. Alongside our officiant and now bridesmaid, other Shannon, we popped champagne for a quick toast while tucked back into the shelter of several large pine trees before signing the marriage license in the warmth of the car.

Our joint hobbies include cooking, especially for friends, expanding our native wildflower garden, finding new restaurants and cafes to try, exploring nature, developing new ways to tire out Cricket, and saying we will have a relaxing, easy weekend (but actually filling it full of little activities because we can’t sit still).

If you actually read this far, we appreciate you so much. We are so fortunate to have such loving family and friends, both given and found. Thank you for being a part of our story.