We're getting married!

It was in the heart of the Australian Outback, at a remote property called Pine Ridge in New South Wales, where our story began. Esty had just landed in Australia, wide-eyed and eager, ready to start her research for her Masters program. She’d partnered up with a company that Saul worked for and was able to use their landholders as field sites to conduct her research. However, there was a slight hiccup: the staff that had been assigned to assist her had fallen ill. Saul, already three weeks into his fieldwork and eager to head home, was asked to assist and answered the call. Saul had no idea what he was stepping into. He was simply told to pick up “Esky” from the house. For the uninitiated, in Aussie slang, “Esky” is just a cooler. Saul didn’t have a clue who or what was waiting for him. When he arrived, he saw Esty, standing on the verandah, and he thought, “Wow, who’s this hottie?” Esty, focused on her work, was all business. She wasn’t there to flirt or make small talk. While Esty wasn’t thrilled by the unexpected delay, they both quickly turned their focus to the task at hand: counting kangaroo, sheep, and goat poop by the thousands! The first day wasn’t easy. There was some friction. Esty was determined, and Saul, well, he was just trying to figure out how to help without getting in the way. By the end of the day, Saul even called his friend from work and jokingly begged her to “get better quickly” so he could get back home. As the days went on, something shifted. The tension melted, and they started to find their rhythm. There were moments of shared laughter, quiet conversations, and a growing appreciation for each other’s values and stories. Saul wasn’t so eager to head back home anymore. When his friend called to say she was feeling better and ready to replace him, he felt that maybe he wanted to stick around a little longer. On their last night together in the Outback, Esty did something that would change everything. She turned to Saul and said, “Come look at the stars with me.” They stepped outside, the sky wide and endless above them, and as they gazed at the constellations, something between them sparked. It wasn’t just the stars - there was a connection that felt too powerful to ignore. Two weeks later, Saul captured Esty's heart when he sent her a "special" message written in poop (see below). Though Esty would return to Boston shortly after, the bond they had formed didn’t fade. They kept in touch, and no matter the distance, they both knew the future held something special. Fast forward eight years. They were camping under the same sky they had shared that first night in the Outback. As the stars twinkled above them, Saul turned to Esty, repeating the words that had once marked the beginning of everything: “Come look at the stars with me.” This time, he had a ring in his hand and asked, “Will you spend forever with me?”