We tied the knot!

It has been our friends and family who've cheered us on through this journey and it also happens to be our friends and family who brought us together (unknowingly). Eric was living in Dallas, and with a group of friends and his twin brother, Matt, they stopped for drinks at a Dallas staple, the Round Up Saloon. Robert was living in Austin at the time and had traveled to Dallas that same weekend with one of his best friends, Justin. We all ventured out for a little Sunday Funday to celebrate the last day of Dallas Pride. Texas is big, but it was a small world that afternoon because Eric also knows Justin who ultimately introduced him and Robert. We hit it off and were pretty inseperable the rest of the day. The night progressed and we both ended up slipping away and went to have dinner (and more drinks) at Katy Trail Ice House (soon to become one of our favorite spots in Dallas). After that night, we started commuting back and forth; one weekend in Dallas, the next in Austin. This continued on for a year with many great memories and milestones until finally an opportunity to be closer presented itself.

After what felt much longer than a year, Robert was presented an opportunity to transfer with his company to a different position in Dallas. At the time, Eric and Matt were in the process of building a townhome together so they could finally be free of renting. Robert moved to Dallas and we lived in a 400sqft studio apartment while the townhome was being finished. Beyond the obvious reasons, the tiny little unit brought us even closer together. We survived the close quarters and eventually, the 3 amigos (Eric, Robert, and Matt) moved in together.

At this point we had been together for 2 years. We had experienced moves, new homes, new jobs, promotions, additions to the family, first vacations together, first national parks together, and too many other adventures to list out. Robert's birthday is in October and Eric wanted to surprise him with a little stay-cation to La Cantera, a resort in San Antonio. Eric booked a surprise trip for the both of us 2 months before October so Robert would be completely caught off guard (little did Eric know what was in store). What Eric didn't know is that Robert had already been planning to propose and had purchased a ring. No exact details or plans were set in stone yet but Matt was secretly holding onto the ring for Robert until the time came. When Eric shared the surprise birthday trip plans with Matt, he thought it was the perfect opportunity to encourage Robert to bring the ring "just in case". Not knowing where they were going or what the plans for the weekend were, Robert packed the ring and we headed off to the stay-cation. The weekend was perfect. The weather was sunny and beautiful and the resort had everything we needed. We spent the days at the pool relaxing and enjoying drinks and happy hours at the property. The 2nd day of the trip, before dinner, we were walking the property right before sunset. Robert stopped Eric, got down on one knee and he proposed. In short, Robert got a fiancé for his birthday.

The next few years were a bit of a blur with exciting life changes, more firsts, more adventures, and more memories. We all know what 2020 brought us and while we were isolated together at home, we started thinking about potential wedding plans after the pandemic was over. The longer we stayed at home, the more we kept changing our minds about location, size, budgets, etc. At the same time, two major life changes took place. First, with some persuading, Robert convinced Eric that it was time to add a new member to our pack. Diego joined our family and everything changed for the better. The townhome now housed the 4 of us but was missing a yard for little D. Which leads to our second major change. With interest rates dropping to record lows, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to shift gears from wedding planning to house hunting. On November 12, 2020, we closed on our first home together in East Dallas. With the expenses that come with purchasing a first home starting to add up, we decided after multiple, long discussions that eloping was the path we were going to take. Fate stepped in and luckily Eric had earned a top performers' trip with work that covered flights, lodging, and expenses to Maui for us both. The wheels began to turn and we both knew that while we were in this beautiful and romantic place, we should take advantage and get married. There happens to be a National Park in Maui and we both have a passion for visiting new National Parks each year. We spent a week in paradise and on October 8, 2021 we shared our vows with each other in an intimate setting on top of the Haleakala National Park Volcano Summit; 10,023 ft above the sea level. We even have the GPS coordinates of the summit engraved inside our wedding bands to always remind us of this special place.