We're (finally) getting married!

I thought I hated Sean. It was 4th grade at Hopi, we were in strings, we both played the viola, and Sean was one of only two boys in the class. Maybe it's a coincidence, but both boys just *happened* to be named first chairs... and I was livid. So while Sean nor I have any memory of ever actually meeting, I came to realize that the boy who I hated for (in my eyes) unfairly beating me out for viola first chair in 4th grade was the boy with whom I would fall in love. We grew close throughout middle and high school in a cappella choir, nights driving around singing along to the radio, weekend hangs, and varsity sports (Sean playing, while I danced in the sidelines). In fact, our freshman year, I hyperbolically told my cheer captain that “I would marry Sean Jarvis, I love that kid so much.” Our peers constantly questioned if we had feelings for each other, but we always denied being anything more than friends - to all of the rumor mill as well as to each other! We stopped kidding ourselves in our senior year, and started dating shortly after graduation. We then somehow made it through 4 years long-distance. Sean moved to Utah after graduation and I stayed in Phoenix to dance. It was super difficult, but I am actually very grateful for our time in a long-distance relationship! Despite being together for our entire adult lives, our time long-distance gave us space to find ourselves as individuals. And how great is it that even though we rarely got to see one another, and even though we were constantly changing as people, we still chose each other every day? We’ve always done that and it’s my favorite thing about us. Sean's ambition later fueled our move out to NYC so that he could finish his undergrad at Columbia University and so I could chase my dance dreams. While we miss everyone back in AZ, we've really built our lives together over the last 7 years in New York, and our love has continued to grow. I can’t wait to see where and how we grow together from here!

As most people know, Kendal and I have been together for a while. In fact, upon hearing about our engagement the most oft-expressed reaction was “IT’S ABOUT TIME!” While this remark was (mostly) voiced as a light-hearted jest, I have to say that my heart completely agrees with the sentiment. I’ve known for many years that I wanted to marry this incredible woman, however, my desire for a perfect proposal / wedding combined with the fact that Kendal and I were both going through major life changes (moving across the country, finishing school, pursuing / building careers, etc.) meant that I needed to wait until life was a bit more settled. Finally, by the end of 2019, I was ready. Despite my propensity for planning every detail of big picture plans, 2020 got the better of me. My first 3 proposal plans were foiled (the 1st due to Kendal’s clinical schedule, the 2nd and 3rd due to COVID). Luckily, my 4th plan was the very best and it went off without a hitch! When we were younger, Kendal and I used to hop a fence on Camelback Mountain and sneak out onto the Phoenician golf course to look over the Phoenix city lights. It was here that we first fell in love, so it was at this spot that I wanted to ask her to marry me. Kendal always stressed it was important that the moment be a surprise – so I had to tell a few white lies in order to pull that off! With the help of her family and some friends, we concocted a plan to get her out to that spot at sunset without her ever realizing. The moment she realized that the man in a suit waiting atop the hill on our spot was me, she knew. I choked out my feelings for her and my hopes for our future, hoping that once I kneeled down and opened the box, that she’d say yes. Before I could even finish the question, she interjected “of course I will marry you, what a silly question” while taking the ring and shoving it on her own finger! The proposal was a perfect night for us and we can’t wait to celebrate another perfect night with you!