We are saying I DO!

I was born in Smithfield North Carolina on February 8th 1988. I have one older sister, Jessica. I grew up in the country, when I was little I was always barefoot. I grew up picking honeysuckle, taking sunset trail rides on our horses and swimming in our pool until completely waterlogged. I love riding dirt bikes with my mom and dad and taking motorcycle trips to pick strawberries and play putt-putt with my father. I went to school in Smithfield and played lots of sports like soccer, volleyball, tennis and swimming. I love the sound of bullfrogs and cicadas in the summertime, and watching lightning bugs descend. I went to high school in Raleigh and later went on to graduate from The College of Charleston in SC. I have always loved to cook and am pretty damn good at it too. I wanted to take classes to see if this was a career path I could see myself in. I loved my classes but I finished my culinary education with certificate in baking and pastry arts, the knowledge I did not want to be a chef, and 15 extra pounds around my waist… During this time I was working in the medical field and was really loving my work with patients. I began to explore this avenue and found myself back in school completing science prerequisite classes. This is where I met the most amazing man in the world, a man I will now call my husband. I love traveling when I can, it doesn’t matter where, cities, oceans, mountains anywhere. I love hiking and being outdoors, nature just impresses me. My friends would tell you I am fiercely loyal, honest, insightful, funny, too hard on myself, a realist verging on pessimist, introvert, and a jack of all trades. I have always wanted to marry and share my life someone who would challenge me to become the best version of myself, that loves me even when I don’t love myself, is open, honest, communicative, intelligent, and has an appetite for adventure. I found my other half, and I cant wait to see what life has in store for us!

I was born in Clark County, Las Vegas in March of 1990. Moving from Vegas when I was 12 to Apex, NC. Some of my fondest memories were riding mountain bikes in the desert with my brother Ryan along side wild mustangs, breeding lizards, and playing my trumpet. I grew up with a love for anything with a motor in it. I loved working on cars, and motorcycles...especially motorcycles. So I went to automotive school before getting my undergraduate degree. I consider myself a jack of all trades having been in construction, restaurant management, cooking, auto mechanics, and currently in neurodiagnostics. What can I say, I love to learn new skills! I think of myself as a Mr. Fix it, a problem solver. I have a love for medicine and am now pursuing a career in medicine. I love traveling, adventure, and seeing where life leads me. I am the type of person that would always rather have experiences than "things". My first two years of undergrad were spent at a community college where I met Rachel, the woman I will call my wife and partner. When I transferred to East Carolina University to finish my undergraduate degree, I spent two years away from Rachel, visiting every weekend while she was working and going to PA school. After I graduated this last May I moved back from Greenville to continue our life together.

The first time Rachel and Michael met was in February of 2014 in chemistry class. Michael noticed her wearing scrubs, which interested him because his goal was to go to medical school. Michael overheard Rachel speaking Spanish with a classmate and turned around to join the conversation with a laughable attempt to impress her. After a few more classes they became friends often asking each other questions about material and sharing notes. They became fond of eachother's company and dreaded the end of chemistry class each day. They would talk after class and would linger and stall for any extra time to hangout. After a few weeks they both realized that they were interested in each other and months later decided to date. Later they moved in together and overcame challenges together in school, work, and life. Michael left for ECU to finish his degree for two years while Rachel went to Campbell PA school. Being apart was challenging, but it made the time spent together all that much more meaningful to them. Learning to never take one another for granted, and celebrating one another's achievements.

The proposal was unplanned and happened at home on a random day, just like Rachel had always hoped it would. They were play wrestling and Michael proposed while he was pinned. Rachel, thinking this was a ploy to get her to release him, did not believe him for about ten minutes. He had to ask her multiple times and finally get on his knee to make her realize he was serious. Unbeknownst to Rachel, Michael had asked her father for his blessing more than a month before he proposed. Of course Rachel said YES, and they picked out her beautiful ring, after the proposal.