Billy and Hayley have both lived in Napa since 2017 and have mutual friends who are also in the wine industry. They would see each other at social gatherings, and Hayley says Billy pulled her in with those blue eyes, blonde hair and adventurous spirit. They formed a team and joined a city volleyball league (the Donald Bumps) and started to spend more time together. In April 201 9, Billy joined Hayley and a group of friends to go back to her hometown for the infamous Oakdale Rodeo. They had an absolute blast - from drinking Coors at 8AM in the local bar as the parade went by, to being chauffeured around in Hayley's parents' 20 year old Suburban. They went to the rodeo dance that evening, and while the rest of their friends were burnt out from the day and went home, Billy and Hayley stayed "until the cows came home". They swung each other around the dance floor, and from that night on you could say "the rest is history".
Billy and Hayley spent Christmas in Oakdale with her family this past year (2020). On the afternoon they were planning to head out of Napa, Billy let Hayley know that he was wanting to "take photos in Knights Ferry for his parents" and "for New Years Eve cards to send to our friends". Her first thought was, "you hate pictures... something is fishy here", but went along with it. Knight's Ferry is a historical gold mining town near Oakdale where the two went for a walk that infamous rodeo weekend. You could say that it holds some sentimental value within our relationship. He seemed a bit antsy, asking a few times if I was "done with work yet?" and laying out many different outfit options for my commentary. The next day was Christmas Eve and Hayley's twin sister, Kelsey, joined to take their photos for "his parents and New Years card". You can probably assume what happened next...