Their story begins in 2016.

Travis and Tyler were attending the same high school. Travis was 17 going into his senior year and Tyler was 16 going into her junior year. They were both taking Latin for their language course. An opportunity arose for the Latin students to embark on a school trip to Italy one summer hosted by their favorite teacher, (and soon to be the guy marrying them) Clay Kelsh. Travis and Tyler really only ever knew of each other, as they were in different grades. The trip began, and long story short, his friends would begin to hang out with her friends, and by the end of the trip, they all had memories that they continue to look back on to this day. During their trip, Tyler had mentioned to Travis about her volunteering opportunity at their high school that she will be doing for the rest of the summer. It didn't take Travis long to sign up for the same volunteering position because "he thought it was a great opportunity." The volunteering position involved acting as a summer school assistant teacher for underprivileged children in grades ranging 1st-8th. Tyler was assigned the 2nd grade kids, whereas Travis, late to sign up, was stuck with 8th graders. To their disappointment, they never got to see each other too often during the "school day" for they were taking care of two completely different grade levels, so they made it an unsaid point to stick around after their responsibilities were over and talk for hours on campus. Once the volunteering opportunity came to a close, the rest was history. They went from two friends learning everything about each other, to a couple in only a day. They have been inseparable since. Whether it was studying for exams, or finding any reason to do anything together, they would do it.

Travis got accepted into UGA and Tyler was beginning her senior year of high school. They each commuted back and forth from Athens/Atlanta more often than couples even see each other in the same city. It was a given for them, to be together, and do whatever they could to make it work. The following year, Tyler got accepted into UGA. She even opened her admittance letter in Travis' dorm on a game day weekend. His friends became her friends, and her friends became his friends. Throughout those 3 years they were both in Athens, they watched each other grow, and of course enjoyed watching every UGA game right beside one another.

In their dream to continue to travel the world, as they once did when they met, Tyler and Travis both applied and got accepted into a study abroad program to Australia and New Zealand. Unfortunately, COVID had other plans. With international travel uncertain, Tyler had the idea for them to rent a camper van and go on a three-week USA national park road-trip instead. By the end of the trip, they had hit 10 national parks and had a lifelong goal to see all 63, just them two and a van. They are already halfway done, 6 van trips later.

When it came time for Travis to

graduate in 2021, he moved in with his college friends for a year while Tyler finished out her senior year in Athens. The Athens/Atlanta commute reemerged. Immediately following Tyler's graduation in 2022, they moved into an apartment together in Atlanta. Travis is working in cyber security and Tyler was preparing to begin Physician Assistant school in 2024.

The following summer in 2023 after they moved in with one another, Tyler and Travis were embarking on their 4th van road trip to the Washington national parks. By the 3rd day of their 10-day trip, Travis was down on one knee, overlooking Lake crescent and the PNW mountains in Olympic national park on July 1st, 2023.

It was the easiest yes she ever said.

Photos