We are tying the knot!

This story of love & tenacity begins at their place of mutual employment: Chasewood Park in Houston, Texas. Justin was a patrol officer while Karla was an analyst in one of Chasewood's many businesses. Both were trying to make ends meet; neither fulfilled nor looking for love. It was Justin who first noticed Karla when she would come to work during its off hours - the same hours Justin was usually on duty. He was immediately drawn to her edgy aura & curious as to why she was so guarded & avoidant to the world. It was obvious to him that she did not belong with the other residents of Chasewood. For Karla, she had no desire to conform to her surroundings where she felt confined. Her eyes were set only on becoming free to be herself, which meant focused, unfulfilling, but well-paid work. Justin, a ranger, tried to observe Karla from afar as she carried a powerful "RBF" stare to ward her against potential interaction. The few interactions she engaged in revealed her non-traditional, yet alluring charisma. Her eclectic dress conveyed that she appreciated & participated in the more intense bardic performances across their land that he enjoyed. Even her choice of ride (a true Wrangler) appealed to him as it showed him that she had a rugged side & was open to adventure. It wouldn't be until a few seasons later that Karla finally returned Justin's attempts to get to know each other. Karla was decorating both her space & another eclectic friend's space for upcoming festivities in their own unique manner that could only be appreciated by fellow enthusiasts of nerd cultures, which included Justin, who happened to be overseeing the area at that same moment. When Justin saw Karla's decorations involving the stars & skies, as well as a few nerdy totems, he saw his chance to connect with her beyond a superficial level. Karla, who secretly thought Justin cute, finally appreciated & returned his attempts to get to know each other in the first of many meaningful interactions.

Soon after their first initial connection, Justin & Karla's lives outside of work changed dramatically which affected their ability to naturally run into each other. Karla realized she was attracted to Justin's awkward charisma, which complimented hers, but found herself unable to officially seek him outside of their professional environment. She tried to settle at just running into him when fates aligned, but soon found herself wanting to come to work at all hours of the day in attempt to amplify those chances. It was not enough. A few months later, Karla was set to go on an initial long journey through the perilous Rocky Mountains and needed to make sure her ride was as well as it could be for the trek. Karla did what research she could but eventually had to put her pride aside and sought out her new favorite ranger's guidance outside of work. Justin was honored to offer his skills in tending to her Wrangler, especially knowing Karla's safety was on the line - he wanted to make sure she'd make it there & back again! Adequate preparation for the journey took multiple days & nights outside of work, during which Justin taught & trained Karla in what he knew about both Wranglers & the land in which she would be traveling. He appreciated that she was no damsel in distress & that she was willing to learn & adventure on her own. She appreciated that he was respectful & professional in his craft & that he had her best interest in mind. There were some tasks that he needed to do on his own, which frustrated the strong-headed Karla. Learning to adapt quickly & still work as a team when left with nothing else to do, Karla made use of her bardic skills to make the long night pass quicker & began narrating the tale of The Umbrella Academy in a most compelling & entertaining fashion. Little did Karla know, Justin loved a good storyteller, & her oratory inspired both competence & courage in him to ask her out upon her safe return back home. She agreed.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, & that it did. Karla could not help but think of Justin during her entire journey. How could she not? Her Wrangler was in the best shape it could've been, & thus, she was able to truly appreciate the span of natural beauty in front of her as she & her Wrangler made their way through the winding, steep roads of the snowy Rockies. She felt an odd sense of comfort in environments that would've otherwise been dangerous, all thanks to the care & skill of the ranger. She'd never been so grateful to have asked for the help of a man & found herself enjoying all parts of what would become a transformative journey, especially that of which now awaited her back home. Similarly, Justin found that he could feel safe around Karla & resolved that he needed her in his life, even if that was simply platonic friendship. Thankfully, their feelings for each other matched at every level, & as promised upon her return, they explored their land & bonded over good food & witty conversation. Each meeting would become a magical experience, & they quickly fell in love. Unlike all other relationships either of them had experienced beforehand, both Justin & Karla felt a deep sense of respect & trust of one another to bring up all baggage & lay them out on the table for the other to decide whether a quest together was indeed worth continuing. For Karla, a childless woman seeking freedom to pursue her passions in her career in lands away from home, that meant she would need to set her dreams aside & root down to be an effective mother figure to three & possibly incur more debt in the near future, at least temporarily. Karla, not one to easily change course without adequate reasoning, sought out counseling & buried her head in the work, "A Career Girl's Guide to Becoming a Stepmom". Finally, on the 13th of April in the Year 2016, Karla officially accepted the new role presented to her to journey through life together as Justin's partner.

If Spring is a time when new love blossoms, then Summer is a time when that love flourishes. Justin determined that he would be able to be his true, unapologetic self around Karla, & therefore decided to treat them to three different, yet significant events within the next six months: a fantasy costuming convention (Space City Comic Con), an intense music duel between two acclaimed bardic troupes (KoRn vs. Rob Zombie), & the largest, magical Autumn celebration & festival in a neighboring village (Texas Renaissance Festival). Each outing tested both Justin & Karla to step up their game while simultaneously allowing the other to feel more at home with the other. For the costuming convention, it would be the first time Justin would hint at how deeply he felt for Karla by suggesting that they should go as "Deadpool & his one true love, Lady Death". Karla was delighted to have a costuming partner & agreed, despite the complexities surrounding her character. It would also be the first time Justin costumed to this degree at all, & the first local costuming convention Karla would attend. They realized they had found their favorite costuming partner in each other. For the music duel concert, Karla was intimidated by the prospect that Justin has seen both troupes multiple times beforehand, while she had very little exposure to large scale bardic performances, despite being a bard herself. Upon receiving news that Justin had scored admission for them, she began studying the songs of the famed Skald, Robert Bartleh Cummings (aka Rob Zombie), so that when it came time for his performance, she could chant his songs simultaneously with Justin. She would not reveal this until much later to Justin, & to her delight, he found her rapid & stealth studying endearing. They realized they had found their favorite bardic performance partner in each other. The final event brought out the magic in the love Justin & Karla shared for each other, & they'd need it in the times to soon come.

It is known that all lovers go through a honeymoon period where each partner tolerates (or even completely overlooks) the glaring signs that would otherwise make that partner undesirable enough to leave. This is also why it is encouraged that new lovers get to know each other thoroughly through all types of terrain, with an emphasis on experiences likely to leave positively impactful & meaningful memories. It was due to this understanding & the decision to be upfront with all possible future conflicts that Justin & Karla prevailed through the next phase of their relationship & the various trials that tested them & would mark their first year together to be the most volatile. Ultimately, when Justin & Karla decided to accept each other, it also meant they would have to also accept each other's families & the previous, current, & future loyalties that accompanied them, welcome or not. The details of the various trials they experienced will be spared here, though it might pique your interest to learn that it included having to abandon and rebuild familial ties and homes due to various, traumatic catastrophes including barbarian rampages, wrongful accusations, floods, & a civil war. Through it all, Justin & Karla have prevailed & have grown stronger together, with those both inside & outside their circles being pleasantly surprised by how palpable their love for each other remains. In fact, the biggest surprise to come to all was that throughout the multiple years of trials, Justin & Karla weren't already married. They weren't even engaged!

Karla had a feeling she'd be proposed to on their anniversary. With their 3rd year anniversary falling on a Saturday during the Spring renaissance faire season, it was too perfect of an opportunity for a thoughtful & romantic man such as Justin to pass up. Justin had also expressed more enthusiasm for their upcoming anniversary & was appearing to invite a crowd to make their annual pilgrimage to Sherwood Forest Faire & celebrate with them, which was unusual given it was in a town near three hours away. As with any quirky romance, things did not go according to plan. Justin DID make plans to get their closest Faire friends to witness, capture, & celebrate the moment in which he would ask Karla to marry him, though his best man got called away for work that day, & their other friends ran into issues during their travels, meaning Justin had to stall. Both Justin & Karla could feel nervous energy between them as years of magical memories danced on their minds. They explored Sherwood Forest & took all the sights, smells, & sounds of their surroundings in, just the two of them. Finally, a truly phenomenal opportunity presented itself in the woods while they were alone that Karla thought Justin would (& should) propose, & though Justin thought & felt the same, he held off in order to keep to his original (but now delayed) plans. The moment passed, & Karla felt bittersweet. Karla felt her pride get ahead of her & she became unsettled with the idea that her senses were wrong. Soon after when their friends joined them, she was more than happy to fill her jittery stomach with more than just food & proceeded to drink A LOT more mead than appropriate for her constitution & prompted the party to launch a hilarious damage control effort to save the moment that would come. In the end, Justin & Karla's motto "Everything Works Out For Us" prevailed, & Justin successfully obtained a giddy & teary "Yes!" from Karla as he asked her to officially become his life partner.