We met at a very classy joint. Double Tap Pub, maybe you've heard of it? I was working there, and Kevin was an Italian soccer-loving patron. This was right at the height of the 2014 Men's World Cup, and he was there just as much as I was working. I deemed him "The Hot Italian" to my coworkers, and fell deep into a high-school-style crush. One day in particular, he sat at my work all the live long day. So long in fact, that my best friend (& maid of honor) mentioned to me, "Um, that guy has been here all day. Let's get out of here...". I responded back, "Yeah I know. He's going to come with us." And gave her a smile that made her realize that we were up to something. The rest is history.

We were on our annual trip to the Oregon Coast with our daughter Aria and our dog-son Orso. We were staying in Astoria, but had driven down the coast to Cannon Beach. Kevin kept stopping the car randomly along the coast so that we could check out the view. I didn't think anything of it, but the "elements" (what I call Aria + Orso sometimes) kept getting in the way. I noticed that he was getting frustrated, and called him out, telling him to just relax and enjoy the trip. We decided to finally stop and play on the beach at Hug Point. We found a spot to set our stuff down when he tells me we should hike above this waterfall near us. Honestly, I was over hiking to find cool views, but I humored him one more time. All of us trekked up this waterfall together; Orso and me in front, and Aria and Kevin behind. I turned around to check on them, and Kevin was kneeling down on the ground facing Aria. I said, "what's going on?!" And Kevin said "Everything's fine...", which made me yell "what's going on?!" even louder. He turns around and presents me with this amazing ring, both him and Aria grinning ear to ear. It was one of the happiest moments of my entire life.

So, here's the thing. We understand that this wedding is in ninety days. NINETY. The last ten months have been the most trying times in my entire life, and if it weren't for Kevin, I'm not sure I would have survived. But the love he has for me and Aria prevailed, and we are finally ready to start the rest of our lives. We know that the very short timeline here is difficult and impossible for some people, but we want everyone to know that we completely understand if you are not able to make it. We of course want to celebrate with as many of our family members/friends as humanly possible, but we know the reality of the situation. We will be having a celebration both in Boise and Santa Rosa after the fact, and more details will come regarding that. We look forward to sharing our love with whomever will be in Stanley in July, and all the days after that. Thank you all for being so understanding—we appreciate each and every one of you.