We both knew that enlisting in the United States Navy would change our lives forever, but neither of us could have imagined that it would eventually lead us to our soul mate. We first met upon arrival to the Navy Nuclear Power Training Command in December of 2014 after graduating from boot camp. Going through the rigorous pipeline together, we became very good friends. One and a half very fun while also very stressful years flew by and before we knew it, we were about to graduate and were preparing to head to the fleet as qualified mechanics. The thought of going our separate ways from those we grew so close to was daunting.

The summer of 2016 held many exciting things for both of us. Larissa was accepted into the Navy's Nuclear Engineering Laboratory Technician school, keeping her in South Carolina for another 6 months while Alex was excited to head up to Groton, Connecticut where he was awarded the opportunity to become a Navy Nuclear Propulsion Emergency Welder. Before Alex made the 900 mile move up north, our group of best friends took a trip for one last hooyah down to Georgia. I'm not sure if it was the Wet Willy's daiquiris or just the romantic atmosphere of River Street, but that weekend we both realized that we were meant to be so much more than just friends.

Long distance was something we had no choice but to get used to quick. After 6 months of taking turns traveling between Charleston and Groton, Alex finally moved back down south to Kings Bay, Georgia. Unfortunately, that was just in time for me to be the one moving north now to Norfolk, Virginia. Needless to say, we happily put a lot of miles on our cars that year thanks to our new duty stations. On July 1st, 2017 during what I expected to be a normal monthly visit to Virginia Beach, Alex got down on one knee and of course I said "YES"!

About 6 months after we got engaged, Alex not only moved up to Virginia with me, but we also bought our first house together! Although 2018 had me deployed for 8 months out of the year, finally being able to come home to the one I love every day is a feeling I fear is far too taken advantage of. Planning this wedding has been so much fun and I absolutely cannot wait to marry the love of my life with all of our friends and family there to celebrate with us.