Eva & Clay met after he interviewed her for her first internship in the fall of 2019. She accepted the offer letter and spent the summer of 2020 with Clay & their colleagues in Sparkle City. The first night everyone met out at a bowling alley located downtown. A few weekends later Clay held Eva’s hand under the table at the popular local spot, Fr8yard, and the rest is history.

Clay decided to move home after many delays (a main one being their relationship) to work for the family business, marking the start of their long distance. Eva was getting her Masters in Accounting in Greenville, SC at Clemson. It was a tough year and they had to make many sacrifices to see one another. They made sure to schedule their next visit whenever they were together so they always had next time to look forward to. Eva cried every time they left one another (no surprise).

Eva was planning on living in Charlotte for another year when starting her career, but this would’ve prolonged their long distance. Her grandmother, Julia Landrum, had a connection at a firm located in Bethesda, MD and encouraged Eva to check it out. After visiting, Eva saw it was a great firm and opportunity, and still continues to work there today. She moved to DC for a year while Clay was in Annapolis, so they were still about an hour away from each other but had 2 fun places to spend time in.

Flash forward to September 2023, Eva moved in with Clay. They spent the fall getting through Eva’s tax busy season, carving pumpkins, going on many coffee walks, and exploring Annapolis together. They started the tradition of the Dirby Christmas gathering where both families grab dinner and hangout together in Annapolis, largely consisting of darts & pass the pigs battles. Eva had been pushing Clay to get a dog together, and when he found a breeder nearby, there was no turning back. They picked out the sweetest english cream golden retriever in February 2024 and he became the 3rd member to their new family March 10, 2024. Samson has been the best thing in their lives ever since and has continued to bring them even closer. So close that the stars aligned and they decided to add another pup to the fam in February 2026. Auggie (a nod to their special month) has been the best girl and has quickly become Samson’s new best friend. We love her so much and already can’t imagine life without her💗