Our Story

I was asked by my lovely fiancé/soon-to-be wife to write a summary of our story. How we met, fell in love, and ended up deciding that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. All of this began with our college roommates dating each other. One of them had coerced me to go on the phone while he was on FaceTime with his then-girlfriend and it was there at that moment that I had first laid eyes on her; the most beautiful girl that I had ever seen. I made some witty remarks and told a few dumb jokes to test the waters and to my surprise she loved it. Sometime later I sent a message to her over Instagram and struck up a conversation that would change my life. Nightly Facetime calls, daily good morning messages, and the occasional “When are we going to meet in the real world?” text. A few more weeks after that we decided it was time to finally meet face to face. My friend and I drove a little over thirty minutes to get to her college and the entire time I was overthinking every possible scenario. It was one of the most anxiety-ridden moments I’ve ever experienced. When we got there funny enough, I saw a guy trying to talk to her, I walked up introduced myself to Steph properly for the first time and we made our way into her dorm (unlucky for you random guy).

Months passed and our love flourished into something that can only be described as beautiful. Every day was a blessing even through the challenging times, no matter what I always woke up feeling grateful to have met this girl. We went on so many different trips that forced both of us to conquer numerous fears (the 1000-foot drop at Atlantis in the Bahamas and going through a hurricane on a cruise come to mind) but we did them together and it made all the difference.

Now almost eight years later we are embarking on our next great adventure, as cliché as that sounds. And to get me to use a cliché is almost unheard of in all my years of writing, but from being with this girl, this wonderful, brilliant girl who brought new life to my chaotic story, I have learned that there are a select few who are worth using it on. They have a mesmerizing power that can bring a new meaning to an almost meaningless phrase.

Ending a piece like this is always difficult for me. I want the world to know every piece of our story but I know that’s just not realistic. So, I’ll leave it off with this; when I was a child I once wrote in my school journal that I always saw my life as a book. Every day a new page and every year a new chapter contributing to my life story. And I now get to say with such love-infused words, that the main character has found the other half of his soul. I am forever grateful to Stephanie Marie Laties, the person who has completed me.

I love you Stephh. Always and forever.

“I’d ask you about love, you’d probably quote me a sonnet. But you’ve never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell.” – Robin Williams

Wedding Party