We had a little help from our friends, Megan and Alex, who knew us seperately and decided we would be the perfect match. They arranged several different bbq’s and get togethers for us to casually see each other and meet and in the summer of 2017 we started “hanging out.” We had soooo much fun that summer and fall. We frequented Up Down where I embarassed joel repeatedly at ski ball and mortal kombat, we went to concerts all over the city, we went to chiefs games, we had picnics in Loose Park and finally in October of 2017, at our favorite spot in the park, over charcuterie and wine in a solo cup, we made it official. We continued to explore the city together, talked about the futures we wanted, discovered our love for outdoors and camping, and just kept having so much fun, but we both had some growing we needed to do invidually. In the fall of 2018, I decided to take a travel nursing position on the East Coast to help pay off some debt while Joel stayed in KC to work on school and his career. While distance can lead to a lot of couple’s demise, this was strangely exactly what we needed. It changed our relationship for the better and we somehow became closer and more committed to each other. I moved back to KC in June of 2019 and we moved into our dream apartment in the River Market and began what would be the happiest year of my life. On a camping trip in Colorado, Joel asked me to marry him in the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen and then.... OOPS 2 weeks later I found out I was pregnant! While this was quite a surprise, we were both so happy and excited (and a little terrified). In the next 9 months, 2 life changing events occurred - we welcomed our sweet baby coco bean and the chiefs won the super bowl! In the midst of COVID19 and the life/priority changes that happen with a new baby, we’ve decided on a small ceremony at our favorite place on earth with our nearest and dearest. We can’t wait to celebrate with everyone!