We're getting married!!!

We met in October of our freshman year of college at a pumpkin carving event hosted by Hogan's fraternity. I walked into the party, saw him from across the room and immediately told my friend Ali he was the cutest boy I had ever seen! She said he was a childhood friend of hers and she would introduce us! Hogan and I talked that night and saw each other out and about in Pullman for the rest of the semester. After Christmas break, we started hanging out more and more, and I eventually invited him to be my date for Winter Formal --- the rest is history! We’ve been together 8 years and engaged 3 and a half of those! We are so ready for our wedding and to be married with our families and friends there to celebrate with us!

In the summer of 2020, we moved to Alabama following a job offer for Hogan - yep, in the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic! We grew so much as individuals and as a couple during this, our first, time living together! While in Alabama, I was accepted to chiropractic school in Portland, OR and before very long, it was time to move again. We decided to make a road trip out of our cross-country journey back to the PNW. We stopped in McKiney, TX to visit Hogan's Aunt Yvonne, Uncle Scott and cousin Lexi. We stopped in Las Cruces, NM to eat Hatch Green Chile! We stopped in Scottsdale, AZ to visit my sister Miranda and eat more Hatch Green Chili! Our next stop was Boise, ID to see my parents and grandparents, before heading to Lake Tapps, WA where we stayed with Hogan’s family as he started a new job and until I started school. Hogan suggested we do the very well-known Table Rock hike while we were in Boise. It’s a hike we had intended to do many times but never got around to. The morning of the hike we invited my parents to hike with us and they declined saying Hogan and I should do it on our own the first time. It was a little strange for them not to join us considering we were only in town for less than 48 hours and little did I know, Hogan had a well thought out plan and my family was in on it! Should I have been suspicious? Yes, but I was clueless! We started the hike and Hogan insisted that he wear the backpack and wouldn't let me put anything in it, that should have been another clue that something was up. We hiked slowly, taking lots of breaks for water. In hindsight, this was to allow time for my family to set up a couple of surprises. Once at the top of Table Rock, Hogan and I chatted and reflected on our journey together: from when we were crazy kids in Pullman, to the growth we’d made as individuals and as a couple during our time in Alabama. We were excited about our future and next adventure as I was about to start chiropractic school and Hogan a new job. Then it happened… and I was still clueless… Hogan said he wanted to spend the rest of our lives together... it was definitely a proposal... and I casually said, “Me too". Then he pulled out the ring, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I instantly started crying and my parents and sister, who as far as I knew was still in AZ, jumped out from behind the rocks! I still don't know if I said Yes! at the top of the hike - I was so surprised and excited by the whole thing! We all hiked down Table Rock together and were met with balloons, champagne and a celebration with my Nana and Gramps. The rest of the day was spent celebrating with calls from family and friends. It was a time and feeling of excitement I'll remember forever! The following day, we hit the road to Lake Tapps to celebrate with Hogan's family and to begin our next chapter!

In May of 2021 we were reaching one year in Alabama and 4 and a half years together. This was the summer that we'd move back to WA so that Kayla could attend Chiro school in Portland, OR, and I'd work for Boeing in Everett, WA. We'd be living 200 miles away from each other so I knew I wanted to propose. Luckily Kayla's mom Kathy had already gotten Kayla excited about a ring they had seen together in Boise, so I knew exactly what she wanted. Kayla has always been very upfront about what she wants, and I'd never had a chance to surprise her with any gifts. This time she knew what ring she would get, but had no idea how or when I would propose. So, the proposal planning and fact-finding missions started. There were numerous close calls where Kayla almost busted me on the phone with the jeweler or her family, and at the time I was working on a project with NASA. This created the perfect excuse to kick her out of the house when I had to take calls that required 'Secret' clearance. She'd take Visby for a walk while we schemed. Eventually, I planned to pick up the ring in Boise as a stop on our road trip to move back to Washington. Now I just had to convince her to do something she would never do voluntarily-- get sweaty while hiking outside. As Kayla and I planned out our road trip I pitched the idea of hiking Table Rock since we had never done it, and she went for it when I convinced her that Visby would need the exercise after being cooped up on a cross-country road trip. We left Alabama and began our trip, stopping first in McKinney, TX to visit Aunt Yvonne, Uncle Scott, cousin Lexi, and Grandpa and Grammy Leffel. The night before we left to continue our trip, after spending the day playing cards with Kayla, Grammy sneakily pulled me aside and sang Kayla's praises. She told me that she knew that Kayla was the one for me and that when the time came, she wanted me to have her ring to propose with if I wanted it. In true Grammy fashion, she got it out of me that I would be proposing 5 days later. This was one of the last and most special moments that I shared with Grammy. We will always miss her tremendously in our lives and at our wedding, but I'm so glad that Grammy got to know and love the person I will spend the rest of my life with. Our next stop was Las Cruces, NM, and then we went on to Scottsdale, AZ to spend a few days with Miranda - my partner in surprise planning. For 2 days, Miranda and I had the opportunity to work out some of the finer details while we played it cool around a very clueless Kayla. We plotted how we could get to the jeweler to get the ring without Kayla finding out once we got to Boise. It was then time for Kayla and I to leave Arizona to head to Salt Lake, and Miranda promptly left for Sky Harbor airport to fly to Boise to surprise Kayla. After a night in Salt Lake, we arrived in Boise. Kayla's grandparents live in the same neighborhood as her parents, so it's tradition that we stop by Nana and Gramps's house to say Hi. We couldn't that time because Miranda was hiding out there, so that should've been another reason for Kayla to be suspicious of what was going on. The next mission was getting the ring. The jewelry store was closed that day but the owner agreed to meet us. Kathy took Kayla to Target (an activity we knew she wouldn't refuse) and the undercover crew went to get the ring. The next morning we went to hike, and Miranda, Jeff and Kathy raced to the top to hide. Their drive was complicated by closed roads and traffic delays which added to my anxiety - Visby was just happy to be there. At the top I positioned us where Miranda had been texting me to be, so we were in the frame for photos and videos. Kayla and I took a second to reflect on the last year in Alabama and the next adventure ahead, and I told her I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Kayla hadn't caught on until I got down on one knee, that's when she started sobbing, and we started another new chapter together!