I had gone to see “La La Land” with a mutual friend of ours who worked in HR at an advertising agency in Metro Detroit. After the movie credits finished rolling and the theater lights went on, Lance turned to me and said, “There’s this new guy who just started at the office. You should meet him. You’d like him.” Fast forward a week or two later, when I was working on a way to get our agency’s young professionals’ group signed up for a ski trip for free (challenge completed), while juggling multiple work projects. Lance and I were figuring out logistics for the ski trip, when Nate walked up and offered his input… before we were even properly introduced. In typical Sarah fashion (and with absolutely no idea who he was), I got defensive, said something snarky, and escaped to my department's floor. I got a text from Lance: “Yeah... that was him.” Shortly after, our young professionals’ group (aka: work family) went to a karaoke bar for a night out. And there was Nate. I kept my distance, catching up with friends, joking around, signing up for karaoke numbers. But for some reason our eyes kept connecting across the room. Then we somehow met in the middle and started talking. For the next month we went on the ski trip, explored Detroit, and had numerous late-night talks at The Oakland (a well-loved cocktail bar of ours). On one of those excursions to The Oakland, Nate asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes, and we haven’t looked back. Nate is playful, loving, and adventurous. He's the calm to my thoroughly planned out chaos, the mountain my water surrounds. He’s my best friend and the most amazing partner. He constantly challenges me, helps me, comforts me, and amazes me. Beyond that, he’s opened my eyes to the military, and I’m proud that I get to see him walk his path as both a civilian and soldier. I'm so blessed we are spending the rest of our lives together. — Sarah

On November 24, 2021, we learned that Nate was going to begin flight school within ten days (about a year earlier than we expected). We immediately pressed paused on planning the wedding of our dreams, and one week later on December 1, 2021, we jumped and said “we do” in an intimate church ceremony surrounded by a few loved ones. We wish we could have had more of our friends and family there with us. We are grateful to those who were and for the support we have received from the friends and family who couldn’t be there with us. We couldn’t have made that day happen without the help of some special people and vendors who went above and beyond to make our wedding day so special: Bishop Bonnie Perrie, for granting us special dispensation, and Fr. Anthony Estes for allowing us to be the first marriage he presided over. Shortly after the ceremony we (temporarily) moved our entire household to Ft. Rucker, AL.