Hello family and friends, You may or may not know, but we first met on 8/12/18. That night we tried to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower (but clouds and city lights got in the way). Since then, we decided we couldn’t wait to share our lives, and after a few months of dating, we moved in together. We talked about life plans: traveling, getting a dog, getting married, buying a house in the country and raising alpacas, having a baby… then COVID-19 hit, devastated the world, and forced us to reevaluate. But marriage isn’t just a wedding, so we decided to go ahead and elope. We tied the knot in a small, (COVID-responsible) elopement ceremony on 10/9/2020. We were wed, by Josh’s brother and best friend Erich, nestled among the trees, just before sunset, on a bluff, overlooking a prairie full of wildflowers in Galena, IL. It was a perfectly sweet, intimate and hobbit-like ceremony, made even more special by the perfect weather, Celtic fiddling by our dear friend, handfasting ritual, and gorgeous, fall colors. During our ceremony, we paused to think of how you’ve helped to make us who we are and bring us to that moment. We feel so lucky to have such loving, caring family & friends who have supported us in indescribable ways. Our hope in writing this is to share this part of our lives with you, the ones we love the most, and to invite you to our post-COVID celebration. Thank you sincerely, from the bottom of our hearts, for the love, strength, wisdom, compassion, hope, and laughs we’ve shared together over the years. You are the people who have helped us to become who we are today and ultimately find one another. For that we will forever be grateful to you. PS. We, by no means, expect anything more than what you’ve already given us through your love and years of friendship, but if you have the means, and would like to contribute to our WEDDING REGISTRY, we would be so humbled and honored to receive gifts and donations to our “honeymoon” or “newlywed” funds.