We’re getting married!!!

Justin and Erika met one Sunday afternoon in November, when Erika walked in to Thunderbird Firearms Academy (now Rainier Arms). Erika was in a pretty dark spot, having just failed firearms qualifications, and decided to go practice. Justin was the range safety officer when she came on the range. After watching her shoot (poorly) for a little while, he asked if he could give her a few pointers, and there, on lane 10, their epic love story began. They quickly realized that they enjoyed each others company and witty (if some what inappropriate) banter, and after some light stalking (on his part) Justin asked Erika if she would like to hang out, and she said yes.

If you haven't noticed, Justin and Erika are both nerds. Hanging out the first night went so well, that not even 24 hours later Justin asked Erika to come over to watch a movie. She picked Deadpool, which happened to be one of both of their favorite movies. They spent most of the night finishing each other's sentences and quoting the same lines. "It was like I made you in a computer" (Justin may not realize it, but Erika told herself "He's either made for you, or he will destroy you" that night, thankfully it was the former.) That was the beginning of them realizing just how much they had in common in every aspect of their lives, and how well they really fit together. "Your crazy matches my crazy, big time. It's like we're two puzzle pieces with the weird curvy edges, but you put them together and you can start to see the picture on top." So he asked if she wanted to hang out again tomorrow, and she said yes.

They were supposed to be casual, but ended up spending almost everyday together right from the start. After a particularly crazy evening of holiday retail sales, Justin was pretty frustrated. Erika decided to see if he wanted to meet her after work. He agreed, and she said to meet her at the East Warren, and she would treat him to Star Wars and a beer. At about the same time Luke got his blue milk, Justin asked Erika if she wanted to be his girlfriend, and she said yes.

Rainier Arms Firearms Academy holds a special place in Justin and Erika’s hearts, being the place that brought them together. Date night gun fight is a must every month for these two. They won the second month, so were back for the Championship round! They had a blast, side by side shooting off hand, full auto, and finally a force on force simulation. They finished third overall out of the champions. Everyone was celebrating and taking pictures, and Justin got everyone to quiet down. He said “we met here almost three years ago and I didn’t know how much that was going to change my life, and the date night gun fight series has made me see how good of a team we make. We still have some work to do but we make a good team. So if you’ll have me, would you be my wife?” He even got down on one knee. And she said yes.