Our first date was at Hatchet Brewing in Southern Pines on December 17th, 2019. We both love to tell the story of the first time we saw each other- I remember feeling just like I was in a cheesy romantic movie, and without any logical reasoning thinking "yep, he is definitely the one" and not being able to see anything else in the room but him. My mom has a similar story about when she met my dad and got butterflies in her stomach from just shaking his hand- so I knew it was a good sign :). We immediately clicked and ended up closing down the bar that night. Our dogs met (and became best friends) shortly after and haven't been apart since. I met his family two weeks later and ended up crashing their family photos. Throughout the next year, we went through so much together which only proved that we were meant for one another. -Sierra Oooohhhh boy, here we go. Sierra and I had our first date at Hatchet Brewing in Southern Pines. Of course, I was late and seriously thought there was no way she was going to still be there when I walked in, but luckily for me, she was. I opened the door and instantly saw the most beautiful woman sitting at a small countertop near the Christmas tree. Instantly noticing she was drinking a beer, she had already won me over. With the first eye contact I started profusely apologizing for being late, but she was understanding. I could not stop noticing how blue her eyes were, how gorgeous her smile was, and how time seemed to not exist in her presence. Before I knew it the bartender was calling last call and I did not want to leave. Not long after, our dogs met and were instantly happier together than apart (just like I was happier together with Sierra than apart). On Christmas Eve I asked Sierra to officially date me. That Christmas I could not travel to see family and was going to spend it alone, but Sierra's parents wouldn't have it so I went to dinner at their house to meet them for the first time. That Christmas felt like family, they instantly took me into their home and made me feel like I belonged. A few weeks later I wanted her to meet my family and she nervously accepted. As most of you know it's hard not to instantly love Sierra. Fast forward to COVID and not wanting to spread that we decided to move into Sierra's apartment together and it went astoundingly smooth. From the first date to moving in and even to when I'm writing this now I have never felt more grateful that someone so amazing, beautiful, creative, and smart would agree to spend the rest of their life with me. -Keegan

On our first anniversary, Keegan got stuck on a work trip but surprised me by flying back earlier than expected. The next day, I woke up to find that he had set up a scavenger hunt for me. The first clue was tied to Luna's collar, and they continued through all of our favorite spots- the dog park, Hatchet Brewing, our favorite pizza place, our brunch spot, and finally our new home where he was waiting for me with flowers, candles, and my cousin and closest friend. He proposed with the best speech that ended in "I promise to always let the dogs out when its cold or raining." I, of course, said yes right away. Keegan loves to tell people that I said "well, I guess so, I've got no other options" (don't believe him). :) We are so lucky and so blessed to have one another, and we are so excited to celebrate our marriage and our love with you! -Sierra I had decided to propose a while before, and as most of you know I am the world's worst at having a plan for things besides knowing I wanted to do it on our anniversary. So while on this work trip some 2,000 miles away I called Sierra's mom Ronda and her cousin Mac to begin the "how." I came up with the scavenger hunt and the places, but needed help with getting her grandmother's ring ready and sized (which I guess her ring size pretty perfectly), getting the decorations, and the clues in the right place. I also asked Steven and Mac to help me find an outfit because I wear the same four shirts. I incorporated the dogs and even Sean and Rusty (Sean's dog, or Sierra's other adopted dog). I of course wanted it to end in the house I had purchased before my work trip that Sierra and Al (Sierra's dad) worked tirelessly on while I was gone to make sure it was ready for us to move into on New Years. So, after I had this plan in place I was eating breakfast on December 18th when I was told the flight was delayed and would not be arriving until the day after our anniversary on the 20th. That wasn't going to work for me so Steven and I decided that we were going to fly back early on a different flight. Sean picked me up that night and I surprised Sierra by coming home early. The next morning I went to Ronda and gave her clues and baggies to begin the scavenger hunt, met Sean at the dog park to give him his clue, then went to the house to meet Mac and Rick with the final clue. Sierra knew something was going on, so I tried throwing her off by having Mac and Rick there to "surprise her" because she didn't know they were in town either. In the living room, we had yellow balloons with smiles on them and they greeted her at the door very excitedly. As Sierra was showing them around the house I was standing in a room where our bedroom is now with rose petals, lights, and candles on the floor. As she walked in the door I'll never forget the look on her face and the instant happy tears flowing down her face. I read a proposal speech I had written on my phone that I was still editing to make sure was perfect as she was showing Mac and Rick around. Got on my knee and asked Sierra to marry me. She said "yes" immediately, and every day I try to make her as happy as she was at that moment. -Keegan