we're getting married

During the second semester of senior year at the United States Naval Academy, Pat and Michelle met one fateful night at Buddy's Crab Shack—a crab shack turned late night bar that the Class of 2017 frequented every weekend. It was love at first... glance? Well, it was something like that. Pat, with his over-enthusiastic attempt to make an impression, kept shooting obnoxious glances, successfully gaining Michelle's attention. A little annoyed, but intrigued, Michelle confronted him. She could tell she fell for his trap but already knew she had met someone she’d never forget. They spent the rest of the night dancing the night away, and the rest was history. Fast forward to graduation, and despite their best efforts, the Navy's little tugboat called “long-distance relationship” pulled them apart. Michelle found herself stationed in sunny San Diego, while Pat got orders to the tropical paradise of Hawaii following TBS. They facetimed often, Pat sent flowers, and they managed to take trips to see each other almost monthly in the first year. But love? That kept them sailing through. Then came deployments. Three of them, to be exact. Michelle deployed to the Pacific and Middle East, as Pat deployed to Okinawa... twice. During this time was when they spent their longest stretch of separation to date, 10 months apart while they both were deployed. And then, as if life wasn’t already a whirlwind, a pandemic hit. The world paused, but somehow, they managed to keep their own world in motion, tackling challenges one day at a time. No matter how many obstacles came their way, Pat and Michelle remained the ultimate team. Finally, as the world was finally recovering from the Pandemic, they caught their first break. They finally got orders to the same duty station, Camp Lejeune, NC, as they both continued to pursue their military careers ("defense" is the family business). Hampstead, NC was where they built their first home together, brick by brick. Not literally brick by brick—thankfully for their backs—but with enough love to fill every room. But the real game-changer came in the form of a squishy, floppy-eared red retriever named Beans. Beans entered their life and Pat's life was never the same again. He now has to share his bed with two, is on perpetual fire watch when Beans has an upset tummy in the middle of the night, and always has begging puppy eyes on him at every meal. But he wouldn't change it for the world... or so he says. Now, as they raise their rambunctious puppy and continue to navigate a hectic military lifestyle, Pat and Michelle have learned one simple thing: life is unpredictable, love is steadfast, and as long as you tackle life's challenges together, you can get through anything.