When I moved back to Florida after my freshman year of college in 2013, I never imagined finding my way back to North Carolina. However, I returned on a cold and rainy day in February 2019, with my cup half full (shout out to Sam and Zack for helping with the move). Starting out in your career often requires a little blind optimism and a willingness to take a chance. Two years later, that leap paid off. My first date with Hanna was at a fancy wine bar in downtown Raleigh. After exchanging small talk and glancing over the dinner menu we decided to ditch the glassware and walk to the Mellow Mushroom across the street. As the night unfolded, we enjoyed each other’s company and Hanna made me laugh. However, it was her calm that intrigued me. I had a strong feeling that this was not our last date. * On our next date, (4 days later) she serenaded me to Natasha Bedingfield's, hit track Unwritten (yes, that song) … I wasn’t sure what I was getting into but needed to know more. I still tell Hanna she has an underrated voice; she doesn’t believe me. It’s true! We started to bond over simple beauties in life like staring up at the Oak trees on walks along the greenway trails and late afternoons in the city park. As we explored different cities, attended concerts and tried new restaurants together our relationship deepened. We moved in together on Valentine’s Day of 2022. Hanna made me some M&M cookies that may have sealed the deal. Living together brought on new dynamics and we found ourselves discussing a real future together and even having a family together someday. I didn’t realize this would soon appear in a different form… When Hanna told me she wanted a dog I was like “No way! I travel too much, this can’t work etc.,” After months of her lobbying, it finally became too much and I eventually gave in. We welcomed Kona into our apartment in September of 2024. In hindsight, this was one of the best decisions ever. Seeing Hanna as a dog mom has brought me so much joy and I know she will be an All-Star mother in the future. I told my parents at Christmas 2024 that I was proposing to her and they were elated. Hanna fits in greatly with my family and her family has always opened their arms to me. We are beyond blessed with the support systems around us and are excited for our families to grow together. Thank you for being such important people in our lives. We would be honored for you to join us in North Carolina this Fall for our wedding celebration. With Love, Jack *A small detail that we find fascinating: our first date was February 21, 2021, the same day my twin brother, Sam, proposed to his wife, Allie. Also, the same date of my parents’ anniversary (02/21/1992), and one day after my sister, Meg, and Ryan’s anniversary (02/20/2020).