After all this time? Always!

It all started in March of 2017 when one of us swiped right. We’re not exactly sure who—but after nine years together, a house, a dog, and a kid, it all kind of blends together. We talked for a month and bonded over the TV shows we were watching at the time (DC Comics). The connection was instant. We officially met the day after Brenndan’s birthday when he took me to Applebee’s for lunch. Later that night, he asked if I wanted to join him and his friends for dinner—only if he called and made sure it was okay first. I met all his friends that night, who apparently didn’t think I was 21 (I had just turned 21 a few months earlier). My dad calling to check on me probably didn’t help. Ha! From there, we never stopped making memories. We continued our tradition of going to the Outer Banks every year, whether with family or just us. We went to the derby every year—car or no car. We had countless four-wheeling adventures at Bear Creek (including the trip where I said “Jesus take the wheel” and fell off going up a hill) and in West Virginia. A few years later, we bought our first house—easily the most stressful two years of our lives. Brenndan wanted a ranch with a basement, and compromising with him is like negotiating with Deklyn: you have to make him think it was his idea. I looked at our current house five times before showing him because I hate the kitchen. It’s small, narrow, and definitely not me. But Brenndan loved the house, so I compromised—with the promise that someday I’ll get my big kitchen. Three months later, I bought Lily (the dog) without telling Brenndan. Ask for forgiveness later, right? Let’s just say he wasn’t thrilled—though he was the one who put her in our bed first. He still won’t admit that. Two years later, our lives changed forever when we welcomed our sweet boy, Deklyn John. He’s named after my grandpa John Scheid and also after my mom, Amy Lynn—which is why his name is spelled Deklyn. If you’ve ever gotten a “Deklyn squeeze,” you know exactly where he got it from. ⸻ The Proposal Christmas Eve at Brenndan’s parents’ house. Deklyn was just over one year old, I had bronchitis, and Brenndan was acting unusually quiet. On the way out, he started puking in the driveway and blamed it on the cold air. I believed him. Later that night, after getting Deklyn to bed, Brenndan asked if I wanted to open a present—something we always did on Christmas Eve. He was acting weird and told me to go in the other room. I refused and threw a blanket over my head instead. He finally told me it was in my stocking. As I pulled out a folded piece of paper, I heard his knee crack. I turned around to see him on one knee, ring box open. I was crying and coughing, and he asked if I was laughing at him. I wasn’t—I was coughing. He asked if that meant yes. I told him he still had to ask. He asked. I said yes. And then I realized—that’s why he puked. He was nervous. ⸻ Here we are, after almost two years of planning. We hope you all have an amazing time celebrating with us, because you truly mean the world to us. — Brenndan & Kaitlyn