As fate would have it, Anna and Bill both moved to Everglades National Park in May 2016. Anna had just graduated from Boston University, and Bill had just left a job at Big Bend National Park. They first met at a mutual friends' house to watch Game of Thrones but didn't reconnect for several months. Out of the blue, Bill invited Anna (via Facebook) on a charter fishing trip in the Keys with a group of friends. Said friends missed the boat. The two bonded over a competitive drive to catch the most fish (which they did) and many shared common interests. After an eventful time at sea, they met up with "the friends" (who were indeed real) for a fresh fish dinner in Key Largo. The two later split off from the group and went to share a drink at a nearby tiki bar, where they got to know each other a bit more as they watched the moon rise over the bay. Three months later, Anna moved to Utah.

After Anna moved away, Bill realized that the sun shone a little less bright in Florida. He flew out to visit her at Bryce Canyon National Park three times over the course of nine months, where they went on several hiking and camping trips to the UT national parks and finally "made it official." On the fourth trip, Anna left her job and they drove cross-country together back to Florida.

Some stuff happened here including moving in together, meeting the families, one pandemic, a broken nose, two colonoscopies, four trips abroad, five moves within South Florida and six new jobs.

On a trip to Italy, Anna and Bill ventured out to Cinque Terre for a few days. They hiked between the five coastal towns during the day and discovered their favorite viewpoint on a cliff in Vernaza. Anna decided to revisit this viewpoint to photograph the town when the sun was just starting to set. While she was photographing the colorful buildings, Bill spun her around, popped the question, and stuck a ring on her finger. They celebrated with local wine, fresh-caught fish and some mediocre tiramisu.

Since then, the two lovebirds have been basking in the glow of their engagement on a remote island in Biscayne Bay. They have taken full advantage of the wedding planning process, treating venue visits like trips to various museums and catering samplings as lunch outings. One venue even gifted them a bonsai tree. However, the time has come for them to finally tie the knot, and they could not be more excited to celebrate their next chapter with friends and family. Thank you for being a part of the story!