Although they met in geometry class and were great friends through high school, it wasn't until a high school reunion (of sorts) many years later that Blaine and Hillary reconnected. While enjoying few beers with friends at the local pool hall, they learned they had both pursued careers in public land management and shared a passion for the outdoors and public lands-- Blaine had become a wildland firefighter for the Bureau of Land Management and Hillary was working as a recreation specialist for the Forest Service. Over the next weeks they continued to spend time together with mutual friends and became more interested in one another, but were as shy as two high schoolers when it came to trading phone numbers and planning their first date. One day, Blaine visited Hillary's office under the pretense of "getting job opportunity information for his sister" and was planning to ask her to dinner, but he chickened out and left with the job information, but no date. Moments later, with the encouragement of her coworkers, Hillary texted Blaine and asked to meet up for drinks after work. Blaine harnessed his courage and recommended dinner instead. The first date went so well they went on another date the very next day. Now after 5 amazing years of back-to-back dates, we are getting married and have finally figured out how to build a wedding website! We know we've been engaged for a while, but alas, social media and technology are not our strong suit (we're government employees, so taking forever to do things and being technologically disinclined are job requirements). So without further adieu, please enjoy our site and we hope you will join us on 8/4/18!
During the couple's first trip to Maui in February of 2017, after a tumultuous few days dealing with the aftermath of learning their Airbnb was a drug operation (that's a story for another time), Blaine and Hillary were enjoying a beautiful coastal drive as they waited for their new, more reputable Airbnb to be ready. Blaine had planned to propose that day with a few location options planned- he needed a series of backups in case he lost his nerve. They visited some of the most romantic sites on Maui, but Blaine deemed them all "too crowded". Now the sun was beginning to set, the day almost over. Blaine was running out of time. On the drive back to Kihei, Blaine insisted they find a place to watch the sunset. It was, after all, the first clear day since they had arrived. They stopped at a cove with an unobstructed view of the sun setting on the ocean (✓) and was void of people (✓✓). Hillary was curiously examining hunks of coral strewn across the shoreline, and came upon a piece shaped like a heart. She turned around in excitement to show Blaine who had, unbeknownst to her, already been kneeling for some time. Blaine asked Hillary to marry him and spend their lives together. Of course she said yes! They kissed, took some selfies, held hands and watched the sun vanish over the horizon. Oh, and Hillary dropped a pin on her iphone maps app so they could visit the same random shoreline in the future!