Elisa and I were set-up on a date party by a mutual friend (Allison Saunders) our Junior year at KU and we immediately hit it off. However, after graduating from KU I moved to Austin, TX for graduate school and Elisa stayed in Kansas to teach in Topeka. Once graduated from UT, I spent a few years sipping the finest margaritas Houston had to offer before moving to Dallas. Shortly thereafter, Elisa moved back to Dallas to be closer to her family (and swears it’s not because of me, which I don’t believe) and we began dating after about six weeks of her move. I knew I wanted to marry Elisa and began planning my proposal for December 2020. After reserving an Airbnb overlooking a lake about 4 months out, I also began looking at buying a house. Elisa and I found the perfect house in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas and, as luck would have it, the closing date was the day before I planned to propose. I decided to call an audible and propose at what would be our first home together instead of the lake house I had reserved. With the help of my real estate agent and mortgage broker, I had the keys to the house early and prepared for a picnic on the empty floor where a dinner table would soon be. With no photographer, I used a stand and set up my camera on the only surface tall enough, the kitchen counter facing the refrigerator (the most romantic of kitchen appliances, as I'm sure you are aware). I got down on one knee, fumbled through a poorly planned speech and Elisa said "YES!" nonetheless! As a result we are now asking you to visit Dallas to eat, drink, and celebrate with us as we look forward to writing the rest our story together. We are thankful for all of you that have traveled to be with us, and for those that are unable to. You have been an important part of our lives and there is no telling where we would be without you. Thank you all for your love and friendship!