Our story begins in May 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic. Amanda and Destin were both graduate students at Johns Hopkins University (JHU), studying in sister climate programs, and trying not to go crazy after being stuck inside for months. Then, everything changed when the fire nation attacked... Or rather, there was a sustainability hackathon at JHU. Both signed up, landed on the same team, and immediately got on each other's nerves. Amanda had a great idea about research and education - Destin had an average but flashy idea about an app... Guess whose idea was picked?... After developing a rivalry with another team that had the same app idea, but a flashier presentation (who went on to get third place) Amanda and Destin bonded over their shared hatred of their common enemy (shoutout Caroline from JHU, thanks for saying how much better your presentation was during your Q/A period). Then, both being in the DC Metro Area, they decided to get together to drink their misery away and maybe make a new friend. That first meeting quickly turned into a date after beers and dinner in old town Alexandria, VA, when Destin felt the spark and took Amanda's hand for the first time after hours of chatting about shared passions including climate change, Harry Potter (before JK Rowling went off the deep end), and travel. Three years later, though some ups and downs, Destin and Amanda took the leap to move away from DC to Charlottesville, VA where they have lived together for the last two years. Soon after moving to Charlottesville, they took a hike to the nearby Shenandoah National Park to Hawksbill Mountain. During the hike, Destin looked over at Amanda and realized that if he had a ring with him, he would propose right then and there. Thus began the scheming to do it for realz. On June 23 2024, in the wine region of Lavaux, Switzerland off of Lake Geneva, Destin got down on one knee, told Amanda how much he loved her... eyes... and wanted her to be his forever. Somehow, she said yes. Now, they are getting married near their cute little apartment in Charlottesville, VA, are very excited to see everyone who was a part of such an epic love story, and hope to god that Destin finds a new job soon so they can figure out where the heck they are going next.

Flashback to May 2020: Amanda reluctantly signs up for a virtual sustainability hackathon with friends. Were it not 2 months into the pandemic she very likely would have declined such an event, but what else was there to do? The organizers then added a surprise member to their team, Destin. As one does, Amanda immediately stalked his Facebook (all the way back to those middle school years) and still thought he was cute. However, Amanda's first impression of Destin upon meeting was that he was a bit full of himself (I mean he wore a suit to a Zoom call) and was not thrilled that his project idea prevailed over hers. But she begrudgingly went along with it and they did indeed at least bond over their shared hatred of another team. Jump forward to June 2020: Destin picks Amanda up for drinks in Alexandria. Now whether or not this was a date was very unclear at the time - many friends were consulted to decipher the mixed text messages. But she hoped it was a date and it was! They walked miles (literally destroyed a pair of keds) and talked for hours and she knew immediately this was something different. They ended the night at what would become their spot under the Washington Monument. At this spot they will share many more milestones like labeling the relationship, saying I love you, getting back together (we won't get into that), and many other heart to hearts. Over the next few years they will travel together, mourn together, and grow together. They will love each other through some of the hardest moments in each other's lives and also take a leap of faith and move to Charlottesville together. Now it's 2023/2024 and they're talking about marriage! Amanda can hardly believe it and it takes some peace & quiet on a beach in Prince Edward Island to really wrap her mind around it all and how far they have come. They look at rings together and plan a trip to Switzerland and though she knows it's coming, it's just as special and surreal when he gets down on one knee. Everything over the last 5 years has led them here with more love, trust, and excitement than ever to officially entwine their lives. The Charlottesville years have been a huge part of that evolution and it feels only right to tie the knot here with all of you. Photographer: Sarah Cramer Shields