Kate's Version The first time I saw Peri, he was leaning against the doorway of a coworker's office at the Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation. It was July 22, 2017, and I had just started at the Lighthouse, while Peri had been there for years. I sometimes say that that first moment felt like getting hit by a truck (in a good way). If love at first sight is a thing, that's what it was. And for the next three years, it was pretty one-sided. I adored the friendship we cultivated and delighted in the banter and spark created by our wildly different personalities and backgrounds, but never expected it to go any further. And then it did! In October, 2020, as we returned to Atlanta from a Lighthouse event in Savannah, the conversation took a turn neither of us expected. After a tumultuous few months figuring out what our relationship could and should look like, we were official. Peri proposed the day before my birthday the following year - September 24, 2022. Peri is my favorite everything. His gentleness and patience have healed parts of me I didn't even know were injured. His love is true and unyielding in all ways, especially in the ones that matter most to me. He has stepped effortlessly but enthusiastically into the role of stepfather to AJ, and seeing her love for him develop over the last few years has been one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences of my life. I'm excited for our wedding, but even more excited for the marriage we'll build and nurture together. Peri is in all ways the great love of my life and my heart's home. Peri's Version I met Kate in July 2017. She was just starting at Georgia Lions Lighthouse Foundation. I first saw her being shown around the office and I immediately noticed how stunning she was. She came down to talk to me for the first time in the optical lab and it was just the two of us in there. All I could think was, "Don't come off as a creep," because I didn't want my initial attraction to her to be obvious. Little did I know at that moment what was going on in her head. Not long after that, Kate made it clear to me how she felt about me, and it was an amazing thing to hear. I wanted to dive headfirst into this situation so badly, but I declined at that time because I knew the circumstances weren't right for either of us at the time. Perhaps this was a blessing in disguise because over the next few years, Kate would become my best friend. The best part of my day would be going to her office and talking with her. I remember how excited I would get when I would hear her work heels coming down the hall towards my office whenever she visited me. We would just talk about anything and everything and it was like sanctuary for me where I felt the most at ease and happy. By late 2020, it was clear that I was falling in love with this woman, and I was having a lot of trouble hiding it. One day, I decided to tell her the truth and I could tell it hit her like a bomb. To my delight, it turned out that her feelings for me never went away. Before anything became official, I had to do so more soul searching with myself to make sure that I could be the man she deserved and be the role model that her daughter deserved. Ultimately, I felt that I could, and I would. Kate and AJ coming into my life is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. When I proposed on her birthday in 2022, I had no doubt that this was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. Kate has helped me become the best version of myself and she was there for me during the toughest of times. My relationship with her daughter, AJ, has made me more excited about the idea of being a father and it didn't take long for me to love her like she is my own. I cannot imagine life without them. I am so excited to marry the woman who has made me the happiest I have ever been in my life. Kate will forever be precious to me, and I am so happy that I have the opportunity to show that to her for the rest of my life.