Pensacola’s not a very big city, but the odds of us meeting were slim, if you really think about it! I attended Escambia High School on the western side of Pensacola, while Chris went to Gulf Breeze High School (which isn’t even part of Pensacola) – almost an hour away with traffic. During the summer before our senior years, I scoured social media with my sleuthing skills, searching for a hunky yoga partner since my friend and I were too weak to actually do any of the trendy acro yoga poses. What attracted my attention was a mirror pic of a young stud at his local gym (Chip’s Gym). I slid into his DMs – basically, Chris had this random girl ask if he and his friends wanted to meet on the beach to do some yoga with her and her friend. As fishy as that sounded, we all met one evening at public access #2 on Perdido Beach (though we first ran into each other at the cut fruit section at the nearby Publix just moments before). After our adventurous evening doing yoga poses for cool Instagram pictures, we kept in touch and went on a few more dates before making anything official. Chris showed off his 1976 MGB that, while cool and exotic, made me uneasy, especially after he said, “you hear that? Yeah, that’s normal.” We saw superhero movies, laid out on the soft but blazing hot beach, stayed out late (sorry mom & dad!), and jumped off bridge pylons into the vibrant blue-green water until the school year started. This transition period from a summer romance to a warm and cozy partner is what the kids like to call ‘cuffing season,’ but we both knew we’d like to keep each other around for longer. – Tara

First we met, then we created a life together. Some would say the jump was rather quick, but I personally don't think so. I knew for a fact that I was going to be with Tara for as long as eternity could allow. After senior year of high school, we both moved to Gainesville: Tara in a dorm and I in a sight-unseen loft apartment close to the University of Florida. We ate like crap, I had a job I thoroughly didn't like, and things were hard, but I enjoyed every second of our life together. The very next summer, I went back to Pensacola and stayed with the Holston family, an extension of my own family. I worked at Crabs on the Beach, trained to become a well-rounded server, and enjoyed the summer life with my best friend, Caleb. Meanwhile, Tara went to her first archaeological field school, beginning her career. Coming back, we moved into a house in Gainesville with Caleb. I began working at The Flying Biscuit and made pretty good money only working morning shifts. But at this time, I realized I didn't want to work for anyone but myself. This is where I met Blake, a friend whom I cherish immensely. We all had so many memorable times together in Gainesville. It was especially fun when Nick came over or when we traveled to Miami to visit Chelsie, my sister, to Jacksonville to see Tara’s family, or to Pensacola to see my own. Life is great. The next year, we decided to get a condo, which was cheaper and a bit more secluded. We also got our beloved dog, Layla, at this time! Oh boy, did we miss having that backyard so Layla could have more room to enjoy her life just a bit more. Soon, Tara was finishing up her final year and BA at UF. I feel like we did most of what we wanted to do in Gainesville, and we explored the city together thoroughly. I dropped Tara off at school and picked her up the majority of the time through the years, and I'm glad I was able to make her life just a bit easier. – Chris

Tara got accepted to FSU for her MA, which enabled us to enjoy each other in an entirely new city: Tallahassee. When we toured the city, it looked bland, but we had high hopes. We got a nice apartment with a garage so I can further invest into my YouTube career, which is devoted to helping others. During this time, I became self-employed full-time, making automotive content on Youtube, personal training, and trying my best to change peoples’ lives for the better. I met my goal in always wanting to work for myself. This was the very same time COVID started. While we were confined to our apartment, that didn't stop the success Tara and I were having together. Tally was hard and wasn't enjoyable besides when we could leave to visit family and when both Caleb and Nick moved there for college and a new life. Meeting Alex here was also a blessing. He may not know it, but he made the hard times just a bit softer. Although the city of Tallahassee will be forgotten in our memories, there were a lot of memorable moments – especially the moment when I thought about wanting Tara to be my wife. I talked to my family and her family and tried to create a beautiful moment on Perdido beach where we first met. I proposed to the nicest, sweetest, and most beautiful woman on May 12, 2021. Thank you everyone for making the planning possible and easy, and thank you Caleb and Nick for recording the entire event and for being there for such an aspiring moment. – Chris

After I graduated from FSU with my MA, we were preparing to make a big leap, leaving behind Florida, short drives to family, and all we had known so far in our adult lives to move to Austin, Texas for my PhD program. As a partial-graduation gift, Chris’ dad, Aaron, got us a few-nights stay at a condo on Perdido Beach, and it was such a nice mini-getaway that we never really got to experience together before. On one of the days, Chris made it seem like I had planned out everything: we went to have breakfast with my friend Darby at the Ruby Slipper downtown, found our way to Seville Square to have a beer at the Pensacola Bay Brewing Co., and had lunch at the must-have McGuire’s (yes, our favorite places to go in Pensacola revolve around eating and drinking). We went back to our condo stuffed to the brim and with a to-go container in tow. After Chris apparently pretended to be tired so that he could kill some time until sunset, we decided to take a quick walk on the beach before dinner. There was a decent amount of people out, and it was actually about to sprinkle. We walked all the way to this heron that was waiting by a fisherman for his next catch, and then turned back around. On the walk back, Chris kept commenting on how there was so much trash on the beach, but I did not think much of it. When we approached public access #2, he pointed to this glass bottle with a note inside it, saying, “what’s that?!” I thought it was just another piece of trash and wanted to keep going, but you should always pick up beach litter! Chris picked it up and handed it to me. At that point, I kind of knew what was going on and could not focus on reading the love poem that was inside! After I turned to him, he explained how much I meant to him and how much we meant to each other. He then got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. And, considering you are here reading this, I said yes! – Tara

We finally left Tally, leaving behind all of our loved ones and beloved friends. It was time we headed our way to Texas with the help of Tara’s parents, Tracy and Bea, where we reside now. Driving a huge Penske and towing my project campervan, the Chuggin Astro, proved to be exhausting. The drive was intense with tight highways with semis wanting to pass me. They must have had good insurance! We made it alive and well in Austin, Texas so Tara can start her PhD program, and we love it here. I am continuing with my YouTube Career and taking risks within the channel to seek further success in the future. Tara is stressed, like she has been, but just a bit more this time. For the past years of school I would have to sit her down and shake her up a bit to help get her scrambly mind back together. Our life together has been beautiful. I have never been able to achieve the happiness I have developed with Tara before. I have never been so focused in developing my career and my future. We are a great team. Although our life together is amazing, and, of course, we have had issues here and there. There were a few hard nights where we both cried with confusion, but not once did we think about not being together. Our relationship and our love grows stronger by the day, rooting its beautiful and strong magnolia roots into this wondrous earth. – Chris

We are so thrilled to be coming back to start this new chapter in our lives. Without Pensacola, we would not be where we are today, and we are happy to share a little bit of our home with you. – Tara & Chris