Trying to tell the story of how me and this beautiful woman came to be is hard. There are too many good times, so much growth, and an incredible amount of laughs. We meet at a TNU show and have been indirectly flirting with each other ever since. I was still an employee at the university and didn’t want to seem like the creepy old guy, so I waited till she graduated (the day she graduated) to strike up the friendly conversations. “Hey are you graduating today?” I texted. “Who is this?” Andrea replied. It was love at first text. She had lost her phone so my contact info wasn’t saved. Once the reintroductions where made it was like we couldn’t stop talking to each other. Or maybe I was just persistent and stubborn. One of the two. After a few dates she finally admitted that she liked me. I remained curious. I began to learn more and more about this beautiful creature. Her story. Her goals. Her love. Not just romantically, but her love for family, for those in need, for the broken. She has time and time again shown me what it means to miss those who are far away. What it means to care for the simple things. And what it means to be family. I fell in love with her love for her family and the way she showed up for people even when it hurt. Not to mention she’s GORGEOUS! Like I’m really out kicking my coverage her boys. How’d I get so lucky? Not sure but I’m not gonna let it go. Almost 4 years later we have experienced a lot. We both graduated from our masters programs, have changed jobs 5 times between us, worked through difficult government paperwork, experienced failures and success, and experienced medical struggles, all of which have brought us closer and made us stronger. We have seen a community of people affirm us, laugh with us, teach us, and care for us. Over the last 3 years we became family. We plan to make that official in the eyes of God and legally binding on April 25, 2025. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't wishing it was sooner. But I’m a patient man, and I’m looking forward to marrying the love of my life. Te amo mi amor.

It is very likely that you've heard the story of how we met from me before: we were working some TNU shows and I could sense some flirting going on, so I asked him if he was married, had kids, or was gay. Very subtle, I know. Besides checking off the boxes, I was kind of in shock that this (really great & funny) man wasn't taken. For our first date, we went to the Redheaded Stranger based on a friend's rec and to the Flying Saucer (based on Matt's rec.) We talked literally all night and it felt like fireworks! A few weeks & dates later, I was giving him mixed signals saying we were "just friends" because I was a bit nervous that he might be the one. Matt very patiently waited for me to be ready for a relationship, and then we made it official at our favorite spot, The Optimist! We fell in love around all that brings us joy: family time, roadtrips, friendships, concerts, and good food-lots of it. I also started seeing Matt's character - multifaceted, authentic, cheff-like, passionate, creative, humble, the list goes on and on. Like his mom, he has a genuine love for people and is selfless in caring for others. My friends always joke that Matt has set the bar high for men; my friends also joke that Matt is older than he says he is because of all the experiences he’s had in his many cat lives. I love him for all of it. We are the closest when we are rested or at the beach–at the same spot where we got engaged! That spot has become our safe place, where we breath and unplug from the craziness. Matt has become that safe place for me and I’m grateful that we get a shot at forever. Through these years we've celebrated life: birthdays (his, mine & Liza’s) and weddings, and we’ve navigated life’s chaos: health issues and times of uncertainty. We're learning to make space for both, joy & sorrow, and that the people that we share those with are very important to us. So now, we are excited to take this huge step with our loved ones, the people that have been with us and that we pray remain with us as we continue to learn and grow together.