We're getting married!

My junior year of college, I moved in with some of Ethan's friends, and suddenly he was around a lot. Ethan and I have different idea of when we met because I didn't make any sort of impression on him until I told him I was a creative writing major. In the same conversation, he said something stupid that offended me, so I was surprised when he asked me out later. I had a gut feeling that I needed to say yes, and we hit it off. Ethan continues to say stupid things to this day, but now I know it's just part of his charm. After our first date, it didn't take long for me to know that this was going to be serious. I bought some hiking boots as an investment in our relationship, and during the first few months of being a couple we put them to good use. Ethan and I faced some life challenges during our first year, but his kindness, patience, and grounding energy kept us strong and rooted. As our one year anniversary neared, Ethan prepared to move into my college house with me while I finished school. He worked from home in our garage, and I figured out how to live with another person in my space. I grieved the fact that I would never again have a master bedroom all to myself, but loved the constant Ethan attention and cuddles from our dog Layla. Now I know that living with Ethan is better than living alone. Getting engaged after a year and a half of dating may have been a little fast, but we knew from the first month that this was a done deal. Ethan is my favorite person, and I've never felt more at peace than when I said yes to his proposal. Planning this wedding has not been easy for me; I'm an introvert, I don't like being the center of attention, but I am so excited to be Ethan's wife and to continue our lives together. Thank you all for coming to witness the start of it with us.

While Sophia tells me we met a few times before I remember, I first remember meeting her when we went to get Mexican food with a group of friends. It was that night that I heard her speak for the first time, and after that I was hooked. She was sassy, intelligent, and a bit dramatic. And when she told me she was a creative writing major, I knew I wanted to get to know her more. A week later we had a Friendsgiving at her house, and there I got her number. I asked her out shortly afterwards. We started going on dates December 2022. On the first date, we were both nervous and excited. But in the first 15 minutes, all my fears melted away to her warmth and charm. After dinner, neither of us wanted the day to end, so we drove around Forest Grove and looked at the Christmas lights. We went on a few more dates before she left for California to spend Christmas with her parents. While she was away we talked on the phone for hours almost every night. It was during this time that I wanted to make our coupling official. I picked her up from the airport on January 5th, drove her home and asked her to be my girlfriend. Over the next year we both grew as people. Spending most of our time with each other and with my dog. At the end of the first year I moved in with her and never looked back. Now we spend every day and every night together. We've bought a house and acquired more pets to keep us company. Now it'a been 2 years, but it feels like it has been so much longer. Our wedding is on the horizon and it couldn't come fast enough. She is the love of my life, and I'm so excited to share our union with you all.