On August 21, 2022, Mark and Khali went on their first date. They spent a cool fall Sunday morning going to Grace Church and then ate breakfast at Jones' Farm afterward. Borrowing a car that was not his, Mark realized he left the keys in the car as they were walking into church. Running back to get them, he then realized that not only had he left the keys inside the car, but the car was locked as well. Panicking the entire service, Mark walked out after the service and tried opening the car several more times, while Khali watched, unimpressed. After one desperate look around, Mark realized that they had been trying to open someone else's car, which happened to be the identical make and model of the one they rode in. Thankfully, their actual car was unlocked with the keys in it and they got to go enjoy breakfast!

Because we had both been assigned to different posts out of West Point, we decided to elope shortly after our engagement. This allowed us to enroll in a program in the army that will keep married couples together, which will change our future posts so that we can both be assigned to the same place. On September 2, 2023, after just 2 quick weeks of planning, we eloped in beautiful, small ceremony on a beach in Miami with only our parents and siblings present. However, we look forward to sharing this special occasion with all of our loved ones soon on July 6, 2024!