We're getting married!

…Becky’s Version Though we both did cross country and track, we did not speak until senior year of high school. Byron was this mysterious, calm, cool guy, and I was a shy, anxious, weirdo. By chance, we had three classes together. I was thrilled to sit next to Byron in all three classes, but I played it cool. Byron always knew, (and still knows), how to make me smile and put everyone at ease. AP stats is where things really kicked off. I was hopeless with math and Byron was a nonchalant savant if you will, so he helped me with homework a few times over Facetime. We laughed and exchanged glances throughout class, but nothing came of it. After prom, David Johnson (DJ), carpooled me and my friend Alexa to school. I spent one car ride venting about how I liked this "guy" but we were going to college so it didn’t make sense to make a move. DJ said, "So are you talking about Byron, or Byron?" I acquiesced my failure to be covert. DJ announced his intention to tell Byron that I "was ‘bout it," and I gave him the greenlight. That same day in May 2016, Byron asked me out in-person after school. To my recollection, Byron's exact words were: "Hey, I heard you've been talking to David. I like you, you like me, we should go out sometime." I was so refreshed at how simple Byron made it, and I said yes. We agreed to ice cream and mini golf that same night. The mini golf was closed down, but we were both very content with talking over ice cream all night. Nine years later, Byron is still making me smile. …Byron’s Version Though Becky was practically one of the first people I met after moving from Texas in the 7th grade and we spent so many years in the same extracurriculars, from band to cross country to AP courses, we hardly ran in the same circles. While I was too cool for school in the most awkward way, Becky was everyone’s best friend and not-so-secret crush. She could (and still can) work a room like nobody else - making everyone feel connected and loved no matter who they were. I experienced this firsthand when we had three classes together in our final year. It was all the excuse we needed to talk in class (sorry Ms. Lee), during track, and outside of school. We spent nights talking about the homework we had both already finished and sending goofy pictures of our friends, but it was not until our friend David stepped in and stated the obvious that I realized it could be real. One quick, sweaty conversation later and we were having ice cream adjacent to the closed mini golf course we planned to go to - which should have been a red flag but thankfully Becky did not seem to care. I did not stop smiling for days. Even though we were destined for different colleges, Becky had a determination that we would be together for a long time and I was just happy to be there with her. Smiling and laughing the whole way.

So, 9 years later... WE'RE GETTING MARRIED! Some of you may be wondering why on earth that took so long. Here's the deal, we both prioritized school before our relationship. Our first goal was to get our degrees, and once that was achieved, we would get married. It was all part of Becky’s well crafted plan. Of course, Byron joined the military in the midst of school, delaying his process by two years, and then Becky decided to go to law school, delaying us by one additional year (oopsies). Once Becky graduated, Byron proposed that summer in Greece. (yay!). Byron deployed in January 2024, and Becky had to retake the VA Bar that February, so we both decided to move the wedding to Fall 2025 so we could fully devote our energy to planning our big day together. And now, here we are! Who knew that planning life events would be so complicated.