Emily and Nathan first met at a coffee shop at sea level overlooking the Pacific. Nathan was instantly struck by Emily’s genuine kindness, ambition and willingness to laugh at his poorly crafted jokes. Emily was relieved that Nathan’s personality *somewhat* made up for his inability to wear pants that fit (or a shirt that matched for that matter).

Emily and Nathan’s relationship was forged by cinnamon rolls, handwritten letters and whimsy-powered wanderings. Emily wrapped up rotations with occupational therapy school taking her to various locations across the U.S. and Nathan prepared for a deployment to the middle east. Via distance they read books together, hosted painting nights and shared photos of cute dogs. In person, they’d meet in “vacation mode” ready to camp, bike or find a local cafe in whatever part of the world they happened to find themselves. Shout out to the Dirty Shame Saloon in the middle of nowhere Idaho!

After successfully surviving six months of distance while Nathan was in the middle east, Nathan was getting ready to complicate the situation even more with a move to Japan. They had a choice to make: dive into this thing head first, and see where it goes? Emily quit her job practicing hand therapy in Montrose, Colorado and moved across the globe to create a life in a foreign land. What ensued was a magical year of tiny baked goods, weekend excursions on bullet trains, and learning to love: both each other, and a culture that served as the foundation for so many great memories.

Emily wrapped up one year of occupuational therapy appreciation: teaching first grade at a bilingual school in Japan. In a grand Japanese finale before Emily returned to the states, the couple took a road trip through the Japanese Alps. Approaching the summit of one of Japan’s three holy mountains (and following Emily’s first time camping on snow), Nathan carried the heaviest object of all: a secret promise of eternal partnership. At the top of the mountain, overlooking 360 degrees of natural beauty and three years of a loving adventure, Nathan took a knee. He originally offered Emily snacks, but what he pulled out of his pocket was better than any granola bar.

While Emily is getting back to her career roots with a one year fellowship in hand therapy at Duke University, Nathan continues to be domestically challenged, venturing to Ukraine for work. Exciting update: Emily accepted a job at a Occupational Therapy clinic in Bend, Oregon following her fellowship, so the couple will be moving back west August. In a world of constant change, inevitable uncertainty, and winding roads toward happiness, Emily and Nathan are grateful to have found their home with each other. They are beyond excited to celebrate with all of their favorite people as they make this special step into a meaningful new chapter of life.