the future smiths

Thinking back to when I met JT feels like a storybook. I first met him my sophomore year when my sorority was participating in his fraternity's philanthropy event, TKE Week. He had built a couch on wheels (yes, you read that right) and pushed people around on Virginia Tech's drillfield. I was one of the lucky ones to ride the couch and documented our first picture on Instagram without even knowing the guy would be my future husband. Fast forward to that following summer and we were both catching up on classes and stayed in Blacksburg for summer semester. I would spend long hours in architecture studio that entire summer then would meet up with the Blacksburg summer crew making late night chocolate chip pancakes and partying to "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus. It wasn't long before JT and I crossed paths again with the few of us staying in Blacksburg. That crew became family and many of them are standing by our side when we say "I Do.". JT and I spent the entire summer together running around like college kids in love - going to the river, gushing over his guitar skills, midnight runs to Cookout after binge-watching Sons of Anarchy, and attending house parties in a small college town. It was the end of summer when he prepared a picnic and we sat on the roof of Lane Stadium to watch the sunset....and then asked me to be his girlfriend. At that point, there was no turning back and this guy was going to be my husband. Fast forward to graduation, and we were visiting each other between Richmond, Williamsburg, and his short time in Sandbridge. When he moved to Richmond, he overcame his allergies to cats and now we have Mila, Queso, and a bunch of chickens out in our little piece of woods. Nearly 8 years later and I never would have guessed our love story to unfold this way, but I am so lucky our paths collided. He is my best friend and still makes my heart sing (and yes, JT....the wait was worth it.)

Roya and I met in 2013, just before we spent an incredible summer together in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech. Between skipping classes, spending afternoons at the New River, and a questionable number of Cookout milkshakes, it was clear our relationship was going somewhere. Fast forward, 8 years later and we've shared some awesome experiences together. After college, we travelled to all corners of the country and scratched the travel itch that we both shared. After surviving 4 days of backpacking in the Alaskan backcountry with the moose and grizzly bears, I knew Roya was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Lately we've settled down some - but DIY home projects, our love for live music and adventures around Richmond have kept us busy. I think we make an unstoppable team. Our strengths and weaknesses complement each other and I can't wait to see what the next chapters of our life together bring. Roya is a perfect dog, cat, and chicken Momma and I know she will be an even better real Momma! Last July, on a family vacation in Emerald Isle, I got down on one knee and pulled out the shiny ring. She was so surprised and excited that I had to say, "so that's a yes, right?!" It was LIT-ruh-lee the best day ever! We cannot wait to celebrate our marriage this Fall with all of our favorite people! After the wedding, Hawaii is our next episode and I think it will be the best one yet. In the words of the mediocre pop singer, Natasha Bedingfield, "the rest is still unwritten". Stay tuned!