Our journey first began when we first met through Casey's old roommate Mike. Gladys would come over to watch soccer with friends and Casey took notice of the cute girl sitting silently on the couch but our introverted personalities kept conversation to a minimum. A year or two later we ended up becoming roommates and it didn't take long for Gladys to fall head over heels for...Jackson, Casey's dog. Jackson served as the catalyst we needed to go on some hikes together and that was all it took. Hiking and traveling together grew our bond even stronger and proved to each other that we made a good team. A few years in, we brought a special little boy into the world who had an extremely rough start and dealt with multiple health complications. Through it all, our relationship and bond never wavered and we have grown closer each and every day. While our beginning has not taken the most normal path, we are excited for where the trail ahead will take us.

What Gladys thought was a day of taking family photos turned out to be an unexpected surprise and lifelong memory. Casey knew that a proposal outdoors with just the three of us was ideal but he had to make sure Gladys wasn't suspicious of anything. Those of you who know Gladys well will surely know that trying to surprise her can be difficult since she tends to question things quickly. He planned a trip to the local park and told Gladys they would be taking some nice family portraits. Casey found a good spot and set up the camera. Gladys was focused on getting Forest to look at the camera and was unaware of Casey's plans. Even as Casey got down on one knee, Gladys' first thought was that Casey was going to ask her to sit down in the very itchy grass and weeds to take the photos. Hearing the words "Will you marry me" overwhelmed Gladys in a flood of tears as she mustered a quiet "Yes." Forest immediately became curious and tried to grab the ring from Casey's hand. It was a perfect moment shared between the three of us that we will never forget for the rest of our lives.