We're finally celebrating!

It seems like every millennial love story begins on a dating app nowadays, and our story is no exception. Our first date was at a Mellow Mushroom, where Cal tried to order a Shiitake mushroom pizza, but proceeded to mispronounce “Shiitake” as “Shit Cake”…. as in, “what the heck is a shit cake pie!?!?” We still laugh at this silly blunder that made Cal all the more endearing! Not too long after, I invited Cal to the Spinster's Ball in my hometown, Mobile, Alabama. All in one night, he asked me to be his girlfriend and we said "I love you" for the first time. From that moment on, we were pretty much inseparable. We spent the following year and a half exploring New Orleans together while Cal was conquering law school. Then came the proposal. For Cal's graduation, his Dad came into town, along with my mom and Courtney. We went to take "graduation photos" on top of the iconic Tulane sign the day before graduation - something that I protested because I figured (correctly) that it would be insanely crowded. Nonetheless, we braved the crowds and posed for our photos. That's when Cal pulled me on top of the sign, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. My mom, Courtney, and his Dad were all in on it. And, little did I know, Lizzie, Jenna, and Brandon were waiting in the bushes with flowers and champagne for us to celebrate! A few days later, we were packing up and moving to California! It's been a whirlwind, but we're so excited to say "I do".

I decided to run the Rock n Roll half-marathon in New Orleans. I was nervous to run this distance for the first time, so Cal staked out several spots along the route to cheer me on. I'd turn a corner and see Cal smiling and waving (and then running to the car to get to the next spot on the route), which gave me enough motivation to keep going. Once I finally crossed the finish line, he stood there with a big slice of cake in hand! I loved that even though he wasn't running with me, he made sure that I knew that he was with me and supporting me throughout every step.

Our first Mardi Gras together we were cleaning house at this parade at our spot on St. Charles Street…we had collected a ton of beads and goodies. At one point I said, “hold my beer babe,” so that I could catch a nerf football touchdown pass from some masked person on a double-decker float. It may as well have been Drew Brees. She takes my beer and within seconds both of us get absolutely pelted with beads. I look back at her, see that she failed to catch any, and instinctually respond with something like “where you at babe?! You gotta catch those! Step it up!” And poor Caroline just looks at me like “WTF” as she has no hands free – holding her beer in one hand and mine in the other. She had no chance to catch anything except with her face. It was so funny. I gave her a big hug and kisses and we just laughed about it. Great times. That was literally the moment I knew that I was going to marry her...and it foreshadowed daily life with us.