Despite having many mutual friends, Thomas and Kelly somehow kept just missing each other. They were invited to many of the same parties and events over the years, but with Thomas living in Houston and Kelly in Austin, the timing never quite lined up. That March, they were even seated at opposite ends of the same big group dinner—and still never met. Until now. Our mutual friend invited us on a group trip to float the river in New Braunfels. Conveniently, our tubes got tied up next to each other. Kelly "accidentally" lost Thomas's (questionable) bucket hat. We hit it off by the end of the float. Love at first sight!

Thomas came to Austin to visit Kelly and they had their first ~official date~ at Matt's El Rancho. Kelly showed him some of her favorite spots including her apartment pool, Taco Joint, and of course ending the weekend with breakfast at Cisco's which became a tradition every time Thomas visited. This began the first of many back and forth visits between Houston and Austin.

Depending on who you ask... Kelly counts their anniversary as the day they first met, but Thomas claims it doesn't count until the day he made it official. We were in Dallas to watch Texas win the Big 12 Championship. Hook'em!!

We spent two weeks traveling to Madrid, Barcelona, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Rome and Vatican City!

After almost 2 years of long distance, Kelly moved to Houston at last. (Her family was thrilled to have her finally move home after nearly 9 years in Austin.) We celebrated many big milestones and life changes. Thomas and Kelly found a beloved townhouse in Rice Military. Kelly began a new job and Thomas did too a few months after.

Under the guise of a fake photoshoot for our friends's photography company, we set out to take pictures at Memorial Park. Despite Kelly's white outfit she really wasn't expecting it because Thomas had her convinced the ring wouldn't be ready until 2026. It was the happiest day ever and Kelly was SO surprised. We spend a lot of time walking and running at the park together so it was the perfect spot to propose.