A dance major and a biochemistry major walked into a pep band—no, really. Amy and Cody met at California State University, Long Beach, where they spent the next few years making music, making memories, and taunting opposing teams in the Big Blue Pyramid. What started as an unlikely friendship slowly grew into a love story neither of them saw coming.

Yes, long distance can work! To help make Amy's career dreams a reality, Cody and Amy spent a surprising amount of their relationship living in different states. Over the course of their 13 years together, they logged four years of long-distance calls, airport goodbyes, and countdowns to the next visit. Cody finally made the move to Wyoming in 2023. They quickly purchased a home and settled into life with their two pups, Riker and Odo. They are enjoying the simple joy of being in the same zip code again.

Riker and Odo are the heart of the Fitz-Weaver household. Riker (brown) is a nearly three-year-old Border Collie, Red Heeler, and Great Pyrenees mix. He's a handsome, affectionate boy who loves fetch and chasing squirrels in the backyard. Odo (black and white) is a two-year-old former ranch dog. He's our wild card, deaf and full of herding energy. His striking coat comes from his Border Collie and Idaho Shag genes. Like any brothers, they occasionally get into squabbles, but at the end of the day they'll cuddle up with each other. For the curious, their names are references to two beloved Star Trek characters: Commander William Riker from The Next Generation and Constable Odo from Deep Space Nine. Yes, they are named after Star Trek characters. No, this is not the nerdiest thing about us.

When people say marriage is about supporting each other through sickness and health, we apparently decided to start practicing early. In January 2026, within a few weeks of one another, Amy tore her ACL during a skiing trip and Cody tore his patellar tendon at home. We endured two major knee surgeries, countless physical therapy appointments, and used enough ice to cool a small village. While some couples spend their engagement learning their first dance, we spent ours attending couple's physical therapy. Fortunately, recovery has gone well and we're both expected to be limp-free by the wedding day. After months of cheering each other through exercises, celebrating tiny victories, and comparing range-of-motion milestones, we're especially excited to celebrate this next one. So if you see us on the dance floor sporting our knee braces, you'll know why. (Special shoutout to Amy's mom, Denise, who traveled to Casper multiple times in the past 6 months to keep us afloat!)