We're getting married!We're getting married!

Back in 2014, we both swiped right, finding an immediate connection over a shared love of the movie "Independence Day," beginning our semi-long-distance SoCal romance. Rob lived in Orange County and Katie lived in Los Angeles, so dating like regular people wasn't really in the cards. We met for the first time in person in Downtown Disney after Katie ran the Disney Half Marathon, and Rob was smitten after her departing line of "Alright, I'm gonna go eat some steak" and clanked from her medals as she walked away. From then on, we spent nearly every weekend alternating who would drive or take the train the 60 miles to see the other. By October of that year, we were officially "going steady" and the rest is history.

Rob proposed at the top of a volcano in Haleakala National Park, among the clouds and crisp morning sun. Katie loves national parks, and it was the perfect location for the proposal. We had our friends nearby to capture the moment and celebrate with us immediately! On this trip to Hawaii, our group of friends had originally planned to go to Haleakala the day we had arrived because you need to get there are 3am to get parking for the sunrise, and this seemed easier to do while we were still adjusted to Pacific time. Unfortunately, our 8am flight to Maui was delayed, first for an hour or so, and then by 12 hours, departing at 8pm. Because the group was in on Rob's proposal plan, no one wanted to say anything about not going to Haleakala that night (after arriving after 11pm), but Katie, unaware of the plan, made the suggestion that we try to get sunrise permits again later in the week because we were too tired to drive for 2 hours in the dark. Luckily, we were able to secure those new permits later in the week, and the proposal was a success! Though, Rob had to carry that additional stress for an extra few days...