forever and always

Brady and I met through some mutual friends during a night on the town in Downtown Melboune while studying at Florida Tech. Though I thought Brady was absolutely adorable, I had no idea that he felt the same towards me and ended the night just thinking it was another fun weekend with friends in the books. This thought changed pretty quickly when he messaged me on social media the next morning, indicating that he had a great time the night prior and would love to get to know each other more and hang out again in the near future. We kept missing each other weekend after weekend after this night, however, we finally reconnected at a Halloween party a few weeks later. When we finally met up again, we spent the night talking for hours, and I mean HOURS, as Kim Possible and a Peaky Blinder. We talked about every topic under the sun, and I very quickly realized how similar we thought, and how much overlap we had in our core values, life goals, and dreams. When the night came to an end, all I knew was that I wanted more time with him. More time to hear about his experiences and preferences, more time to hear his infectious laugh, and more time to look at his perfect smile. It's safe to say that my wish was granted, as after this night, we were practically inseparable. I remember early on in our relationship saying to Brady, "you just aren't real" on more occasions than I can count. I truly couldn't believe or process that I had been lucky enough to find someone who not only treated me how I always imagined a life partner would treat me, but also showed me that I deserved to always be treated in that way. Brady makes the dull days brighter, the hard days easier, and I can't imagine my life without him in it. It's exciting and reassuring to know now that I will never have to. I love you more than words Brady Buffington, and I promise to always be the Kim Possible to your Peaky Blinder - even when it's not Halloween.

Courtney and I met because my long time friend Jake was coming to visit one of Courtney’s roommates. While Courtney had no idea I existed prior to going downtown, Jake had shown me some pictures of a girl who I thought was really beautiful. As Jake and I were hanging out with friends we decided it was time to go downtown. By this point I am fully expecting to see Courtney soon and was very interested in meeting her and getting to know her. Through a series of events we finally met outside of a bar right at closing time. Jake and I invited Courtney and her roommates back to the house and watched a movie. At the end of the movie the girls went home and like a complete dumbass I did not ask for her number. I could not get her off my mind so in the morning I became an FBI detective and found her social media (my detective method was utilizing Jake). We quickly got to talking and texting and I knew I needed to see her again. The next weekend rolled around and I asked her if she wanted to go downtown and have a few drinks. To my dismay, a series of unfortunate events was about to unfold that resulted in us not being able to see each other for three weekends in a row. This all culminated in Courtney inviting me to a Halloween party on a night I assumed would end up with me downtown with the rest of my roommates. After a day of putzing around a Goodwill, my roommates and I decided we were dressing up as the Peaky Blinders and would be going to a bar downtown to celebrate. Courtney texted and invited me to a party later in the evening giving me an opportunity for my own Good Will Hunting moment (Gotta go see about a girl). I ended up going to the party and sitting around a bunch of people I had never met for TWO hours while Courtney was “looking for her roommate”. To my surprise, she actually was doing this, and as long as I had waited for her she finally came out to the backyard, quickly said hello, grabbed my hand, and led me to her roommates. We stayed there for thirty minutes longer before she brought me to her house where we watched movies and talked for hours before I headed home. I knew from that point on that it was the start of something special and what I never could have imagined is that I could be writing this story three years later about my soon-to-be wife. The past three years have been nothing but pure bliss. From long distance to huge moves, we have weathered every storm thrown our way with grace. I could not have been more lucky to have met you that night outside of a bar in Melbourne.