We have an Italian villa in the Le Marche region rented for all of our festivities, with the goal being a relaxing Italian holiday with good food, good wine, good company, and a good time for all of our family! We have activities planned for our guests from Sun, May 25 to Thurs, May 29. Our wedding itself will be on Tuesday, May 27th. Accommodations, travel in-country, and provisions are all provided from Sun, May 25th to Thurs, May 29!

Ad astra per aspera simul - to the stars through difficulty together. Paying homage to NASA's motto and the state motto of Kansas, we have taken on this phrase as the underlying theme of our relationship. We will face the good and bad, together. We met in a way that is decidedly out of a bad Hallmark movie: in an elevator on a cruise. Maddie had taken a cruise during her fourth and final year of veterinary school in an attempt to be "warm and alone", while Travis had taken a cruise with his parents to celebrate moving back to the US after having lived in Germany for multiple years. Maddie was waiting for an elevator to go get a bite to eat one evening, and the door opened, revealing Travis and a gaggle of other people, all just riding the elevator to pass the time: Travis yelled to get in, Maddie did, and we spent the evening talking together, knowing whatever this was, it was very important and special. We decided to stay in contact, knowing there was significant potential in our connection. Travis left the cruise and moved to Colorado to join a new team and begin work at a new base, Maddie went back to Kansas State to continue her vet school, and we did long-distance: visiting one another on weekends and holidays, but also spending hours on the phone each night, doing the mundane evening tasks on video with one another. Travis met Maddie's cats, Obex and Stroehganoff, and we met one another's families and friends, all the while learning quickly that we were one another's very best friends. Maddie, in pursuing a career in veterinary anesthesiology, matched to Auburn University in Alabama for a year of an internship (2023-2024), which made the distance longer, no longer being a car-ride away. We still visited as often as reasonable (and oftentimes unreasonable), and Travis supported Maddie through her unenjoyable internship year in all ways. Together, we made a home in both Alabama and Colorado. As the time came for the match for Maddie's residency, we decided to work together: for Travis to request to be moved to North Carolina to be an instructor and for Maddie to pursue North Carolina State University's Anesthesiology program. Somehow, the match and the army played kindly together, and we both were given what we'd wanted: the next step in both of our careers and an avenue to being solidly together. In July of 2024, we both moved, with the help of our families, to Holly Springs, North Carolina, where we moved into our first place: an adorable apartment with big windows and lots of space for the two cats. Travis, having finally settled and built a cozy home, then deployed to Lithuania with his team, where he will be until early 2025. Maddie began her residency at NC State and continues to craft our home together, involving Travis at every opportunity. Maddie and Travis spend as much time as we can together on the phone - but with an eight-hour time difference, we work hard to prioritize one another and our time together, as well as our individual growth and health, oftentimes gently suggesting the other get some sleep soon. Maddie and Travis love eating meals together, drinking coffee and watching one of our new favorite shows, The Expanse, and gossiping about each person's workday. We are one another's best friend, biggest advocate, and best confidante. We want only what's best for the other and the opportunity to support one another during these adventures - both together and apart - is the greatest joy.