Let's get the party started...

Days before the October 2018 Army Aviation class was set to graduate, Michele bought a last-minute flight to celebrate one of her longtime friends, Kayla Carpenter, at Fort Rucker, Alabama. Following the graduation ceremony, Kayla had planned a gathering at a friend's barn to bid farewell to her close friends and classmates that would be dispersing all over the world within the next couple of weeks. Shortly after the celebration began, Beau arrived at the barn accompanied by his parents (yes, Michele met Beau's parents the same day she met Beau). Knowing that Beau and Michele would hit it off, Kayla asked Michele to play a friendly game of "What Are The Odds" and challenged Michele to spark up a conversation. Michele replied with a blushing "absolutely not" and did her best to not make the encounter obvious to Beau. A few moments later, Beau approached Michele and Katie (Maid of Honor) making small talk and bantering about the proper pronunciation of Nevada (Nev-AD-a for all those wondering). The rest of the night, the two went about their business and Beau left to spend time with his family, while Michele enjoyed the remainder of the weekend with her friends. A couple of days after their initial encounter, Michele received a witty text from Beau apologizing for not making more of an effort to talk when first presented with the opportunity, followed by a bold request for advice to a guy who is afraid he may have missed his shot but would do anything for a do-over. Michele advised that a do-over was best. After a few days of get-to-know-you texts, Beau invited Michele to join him and his close friend, Shayne, in Zion National Park during their road trip stop. Having only met Beau once, Michele was hesitant but asked a few friends to join and made the trip. The rest, as they say, is history; thousands of memories, airline miles, and FaceTime hours later! We surely couldn't be here without the support of you all and we can't wait to celebrate our love with you.