On July 4, 2018, we met on the ferry between St. Thomas and St. John, both headed to enjoy carnival celebrations in St. John while living in St. Thomas doing hurricane recovery work. We hit it off right away, but remained "friends" for a few months before starting to date. It did not take long for us to become very close. Starting off our relationship far from family and the responsibilities of "normal" life, we enjoyed our first few months of dating scuba diving and boating to countless islands from Culebrita to Tortola, living 24/7 in one of the most romantic places in the world. Whether it was more influenced by the beautiful setting or Robert's delicious BBQ chicken, we may never know, but it was evident to us early on that we had a good shot at the long haul.

We both moved back to New Orleans in early 2019. While it was early on in our relationship, we were both brave enough to tell the other, "You're not not a factor," in the choice to move back. We didn't know how our relationship would work when we got back to family, our older friends, and a totally different lifestyle. Despite the stressors of "normal" life, our relationship didn't just "work," it flourished, and our love grew.

In 2020, Taylor became interested in exploring her Catholic roots. Robert always had a strong faith, but it did not play a large role in our relationship until we started attending RCIA classes together in 2020. Robert decided to attend just to support Taylor, but over the course of the few months of classes, Robert felt drawn to become Catholic as well. We were confirmed during the Easter Vigil mass in April 2021 in Our Lady of the Rosary church, where we will soon be married! Now, our faith plays a huge role in our relationship, and it is truly hard to remember what it was like before. We especially love saying the rosary while walking to 6 PM mass or walking along the beach!

Fitting with our story and both of our love for the rosary and the beach, Robert lured Taylor out to the beach across from her parents' house in Mississippi to do a rosary walk, but before we could even start, Robert pointed out something on the ground. All of the sudden, he was digging in the sand, and on one knee with buried treasure that would stay on Taylor's hand for a lifetime :).

We can't wait to be married! February 12, 2022 can't come soon enough.