How they met

Simone and Will first crossed paths when they began training in the F/A-18 legacy hornet in San Diego, CA. After a brief exchanging of some judgmental words regarding Simone’s chest patches, their friendship grew over the next few months. In January of 2020 after a few too many tequila shots at Trailer Park After Dark (a favorite bar of theirs), they took the leap – and officially became a couple.

Their journey

After only a few months, Simone and Will's time together was cut short after Will was sent to Beaufort, SC to learn how to fly the F-35B and they were unsure if they would be stationed together again. Simone was luckily sent to Beaufort that summer to join her fleet squadron where the two continued to adventure, and enjoyed the newest addition to the family, Phoebe (the greatest Australian Shepherd). In summer 2021, Will left to be stationed in Japan for the next three years, while Simone went back through flight school to transition to the front seat. They endured multiple moves, and kept up the long-distance relationship through (lots) of late night/early morning facetimes and phone calls. While Covid (and extended deployments) kept them apart for nearly a year, they were able to both catch superfluous long-haul flights from Dallas to Tokyo and vice versa over the next two years. On one such occasion, the Christmas of 2022, Simone traveled to Japan, and the two visited all over until Will FINALLY proposed in Kyoto over dinner on December 27th, 2022 after tormenting Simone by carrying around the ring for over a week. They were “officially” married in San Antonio on Friday, October 13th, 2023 (spooky), and were finally reunited in Beaufort when Will came home from Japan in the summer of 2024.

The future

Living in Beaufort for at least a few more years, Simone and Will have been working hard, but still traveling all over the country (and sometimes the world). They are excited to celebrate over six years together, and of course excited to welcome you all to an unforgettable experience in Bali, Indonesia.

Pets: 3 (Luca, Phoebe, Pepper) (Bonus pets: 25 if you count the chickens)

Trans-pacific flights: 16

Cities visited: 33

Countries explored: 4

Miles driven: 22,000

Favorite trips: Japan (obviously), St. Croix, Italy, Jackson Hole

Times we watched the entire (extended edition) Lord of the Rings trilogy: 4

Favorite meal: Gyukatsu

Beach hours logged: 69

Times Simone won something at the claw machine: 21

Horses ridden: 4

Number of times we listened to “I’m with you” by Avril: 165

Days spent snowboarding: 26

Times we fell asleep in the movie theater: 8

Anniversary dinners where we drank two full bottles of wine: 1 (lessons were learned)

Photos taken together: The limit does not exist

Official wingmen: 2