We both attended weekly trivia at Island Root Kava Bar, but one night, back in May 2022, Daniel noticed Aubrey's Breaking Benjamin hoodie and knew he had to compliment her. From there, rivals became friends with Daniel sitting at their table and conversing for hours about our favorite music and concerts that we had each attended. Over the next few weeks, we grew closer, until one special night of conversation shared over a jar of his homemade pickles. Before we knew it, 3:30 AM was here and the bar was closing, but despite that, neither of us was ready for the night to end. Our conversation continued even later into the night out in the parking lot, at which point Daniel invited Aubrey to karaoke the following Friday. We met at Game Over for an unforgettable night of karaoke, after which we returned to the kava bar, once again closing the place down. At this point, we decided to head to the beach to continue our conversation and enjoy the beautiful coast upon which we live. We decided the lifeguard chair would be the perfect place to spend the rest of the night with each other. We sat there, conversing on and off while also enjoying the silence and peace surrounding us, content to be in each other's presence. Dawn began to creep in, at which point we watched the sun rise over the Atlantic. After spending such an incredible evening together, Daniel asked Aubrey out on their official first date. We made plans to take our dogs, Jasper (Beagle) and Zuko (Australian Shepherd), to the dog beach together the following day. We headed off to the beach Sunday afternoon with plans to have dinner after. We ate at the Copper Chimney with both of our furry friends before heading back to Aubrey's house. Yet again, we weren't ready for the night to end; we drove to a nearby lake and sat on the dock there, looking up at the stars while enjoying the cool night air and the sounds of the crickets, bullfrogs, and the occasional alligator grunting off in the distance. It was then that we shared our first kiss after witnessing the most awesome shooting star break the darkness of the night sky. We sat quietly together for a time before observing another celestial wonder in the form of a rocket launch that framed out over the moon and trailed off into space after watching for what seemed like an hour. Between the amazing evening we spent together, the time we had shared before, and the heavens quite literally rooting for us, it's a wonder that we waited this long to tie the knot.

As with the start of most relationships, we both intended to take things slow, but the time spent apart was almost too much to bear. Before long we were nearly inseparable, of course continuing the weekly trivia tradition, as well as making plans to go to concerts and taking trips to the Tail of the Dragon in TN. During this time Jasper and Zuko grew to love each other as brothers and now can't stand being apart from each other. We continued making the most of every moment by taking day trips to Universal Studios and anything else that sounded interesting; we even went on a cruise to the Bahamas for Aubrey's birthday. And that was all within the first six months. The next big trip we took was for our one year anniversary, which we spent in St. Augustine at an incredible bed & breakfast just a short walk from downtown. We fell madly in love with the city and plan to travel here again as often as we can so that we can revisit the delicious restaurants and the incredible history as well as finding new places going forward. The next few months were spent relatively quiet, at least as quiet as our busy lives would allow. We then took another trip to TN to visit family, where we just so happened to be just in time to experience a beautiful hike through the snow. On the way back to FL, we stopped in St. Augustine to celebrate Aubrey's birthday with a few friends that met us there. Come to find out, Daniel had purchased the engagement ring two months prior and had planned to propose on this trip, but forgot the ring in the safe at home. As most of you know by now, our next major trip was a cruise to Alaska. We both agree, there is no place that we have visited that compares to the incredible scenery and vast expanse of untouched wilderness. The ship was fantastic, the room was amazing, and the excursions we took go beyond our ability to describe. We both enjoyed the fresh halibut and king crab legs and did our best to immerse ourselves in the culture, stepping out of our comfort zones to experience Alaska to the best of our abilities. The most memorable excursion of the trip took place in Skagway, where we boarded a small helicopter to visit a sled dog camp where they train mushing dogs on Denver Glacier. It was here that Daniel proposed to Aubrey. We learned all about the sport of mushing, spent time with their current well-trained sled dogs, and watched an incredible demonstration before playing with the next generation of puppies that were only six weeks old. The excursion prior to what happened next was one for the books. Daniel's mind was racing the whole time, ring in his pocket, trying to figure out the best time and place to propose. As we were wrapping up and walking to the helicopter he knew it was go time. He asked the photographer there to take a couple extra pictures before boarding at which point he got down on one knee in the cold, wet snow and asked Aubrey to marry him. After much laughter, tears of joy, and a playful slap on the arm, she said yes, which brings us to the wedding!

The next 5 years are going to look much like the past 3... We have established our little homestead - complete with 6 ducks and 50 chickens, we still attend trivia on the regular, and concerts are always on the docket. Daniel will have completed our 1969 Camaro build by this point and we are both looking forward to travelling the country as well as hitting the track on the weekends to really see what she can do! Our goal is to visit all 50 US States by the time Aubrey turns 30. The next 10 years we are leaving up to fate to decide. We have thoughts, we have plans, but nothing is written in stone and we'll just have to see where life takes us. Of course, children are a big part of that plan, but we're leaving that up to whatever timing the universe decides is best for us.