We're getting married!

We met the old fashioned way - randomly, late at night, drunk at a bar. This meeting very nearly didn't happen, though, as both of us originally planned on staying in that night. I (Amanda) had just finished moving from my college apartment to a house in Seattle, and was hoping for a relaxing night at home. Instead, I threw on a nice dress and went bar hopping for an old roommate's birthday. Across town, Tom had just watched the Colts (his favorite team) get stomped by the Patriots, and was in no mood to leave the house. But he, like me, threw on a nice shirt and begrudgingly went out with his friends. Our respective groups eventually ended up at the same club, and Tom and I met while we were in line for drinks. We hit it off, spent the rest of the night talking and dancing, and immediately made plans to see each other again. Now here we are, 7 years later, and every passing year gets better and better. Tom's wry and wacky sense of humor has kept me laughing since the day we met, and my life became infinitely better once he was a part of it. Tom is incredibly smart, talented, caring, and funny, and I love the person that I've become since meeting him. I thank my lucky stars that we both put aside our reservations and decided to go out on that night in 2013.

We got engaged last year during a ski trip to Lake Tahoe. We flew into Reno, dropped off our luggage at the condo we rented near Squaw Valley, and then spent the day skiing and snowboarding with friends. That evening, Tom took me on a long and windy drive to the top of a mountain road near the ski resort. We sat on the back of my car, stargazing and looking at the incredible view of snowy moonlit mountains that stretched before us. Right then he proposed, using a ring box he built himself out of exotic bloodwood and brass. We got to bask in the excitement of our engagement for the entire weekend, and I spent plenty of time watching my ring sparkle in the sunlight on the chair lifts.

We've had a lot of fun together and don't anticipate that stopping anytime soon. We've gone on more roadtrips than we can count, attended numerous music festivals and concerts, visited national parks, and gone on tropical vacations. We've also bought (and renovated) a house, and just recently adopted a dog. This next chapter of our lives will be our most exciting adventure yet, and we can't wait for it to start! We are each other's partner, confidante, best friend, and most avid supporter. We've poured blood, sweat, and tears (literally) into the home we've bought together, and lived apart for over a year while I went to grad school. We've had highs, lows, and everything in between, and we still love and appreciate each other more each year. We can do anything together :)

We can't wait to celebrate with you!