In our story, you will find a commonly recurring locale: The Genesee Valley Hunt Races, at our friend Emily's tailgate party. If we travel back to the second Saturday in October, 2019, we land on a cold, drizzly day. Kippy and her mom decided to check out The Hunt Races, despite the weather outlook. It had been years since they had last attended, and although the rain might not have seemed ideal, it was worth heading over to spend a few hours enjoying the shopping, horse racing, dog events, and competitive tailgating setups. As Kippy approached one of the more impressive tailgates, she heard her name being called-out from the fray. Emily flagged-down Kippy and her mom, explaining that the spread was hers and graciously offering that they join to enjoy the food and drink. To say the tailgate was elaborate was an understatement. From leather couches, to silver chafing dishes, to a full bar (complete with an ice funnel sculpture to pour chilled cocktails through), the spread was second to none. As Kippy stood at the bar, waiting for her drink to be poured through the ice, a young man about her age wandered over to grab a drink as well. Kippy struck-up a conversation with him, and they ended up talking for a half hour. He ended up having to leave to return to his volunteer position at the event, and she turned her attention back to the races. Kippy realized that she had never asked his name, and was curious about this stranger that she seemed to click with, so she asked Emily who he was. Emily replied with "Oh, that was William! He is living at the farmhouse at my barn, and he's truly such a great guy!" Kippy then did what most Millennials do, sending him a friend request on facebook. From there Kippy decided to shoot her shot, making the first move and sending him a message. The rest, as they say, is history.

Three years later, we once again find ourselves at The Hunt Races, right back at Emily's incredible tailgate. This time, both Kippy and William had volunteer duties for the day. Unlike when they met, it was a perfect picture of fall, with blue skies and sunshine. Kippy and William arrived early that day, so that he could perform his duties as radio coordinator for the races and she could help Emily prepare the tailgate. Little did Kippy know what she was truly setting-up for… Around 11 am, William wandered from the grandstand over to the tailgate, supposedly to drop-off some additional wine he had brought for the tailgate. Many others had subtly gathered around too, but Kippy was too oblivious to notice what was actually happening, as it was nearly time for the tailgate competition judging to begin. Amidst the gaggle of people, while showing Kippy that he had brought a bottle of her favorite Boundary Break Riesling to share, William snuck a hand into his pocket, dropped on one knee with ring in hand, and asked her to marry him. Amid the emotions, what her exact response was in the moment isn’t entirely known, but it was something along the lines of "Of course, yes! It’s about damn time!" The crowd around exploded with cheers, filled with family and friends from near and far that William had made sure were there for this special event. It truly was a perfect day.