Our story begins in 2015 at Johnston High School where we had four class periods in a row together. We shared email threads and lots of laughs in Mrs. Pippert's Algebra 2/Trigonometry class. After spending many show choir weekends together, hanging out with friends, and a summer filled with Téa driving Mark around town to play Pokémon Go, we made it official on August 22nd, 2016.

The first year of dating included high school dances, more show choir weekends, and graduation festivities for Téa. Our relationship withstood the test of distance when Téa attended the University of Wyoming for one year. It also withstood the test of time, as we spent the following 5 years together in Iowa City which brought many milestones. Téa graduated from nursing school, Mark began pharmacy school, we started new jobs, got our first apartment together and got engaged.

We couldn't stay away from our roots; Des Moines called us back home this past October. Mark recently finished his Doctor of Pharmacy and decided he wanted to spend even more time with Téa by joining her at her place of work, Iowa Methodist Medical Center. We are excited to embark on this new journey together as a married couple and feel grateful for all of the support we have received from family and friends throughout our relationship.