There are a thousand missed meetings in our story. Kelly and Lane both grew up in the state of New Mexico. If you're from here, you know the entire state is the biggest small town you've ever seen. Meaning - everyone knows everyone somehow. So it's no surprise that Kelly and Lane know dozens of people in common, but it is a surprise they didn't meet until college at New Mexico State University. These missed meetings include, but are not limited to: - Lane's parents, Sandra and Joe Barraza, buying land to build their first home from Kelly's paternal grandfather, Ralph Shubert. - Lane growing up in the same town as most of Kelly's extended family (Raton, NM). He grew up in the same neighborhood and in the same grade as one of Kelly's cousins, Landon Berry. When the Barraza Family moved to Roswell, Landon told Kelly his friend was moving there. Yet, the two never met. -Kelly growing up in the same town as most of Lane's extended family (Roswell, NM). So much so that Kelly's mother, Sarah Shubert, had Lane's aunt, Jeri Key, as a hair salon client for many years. - Kelly's maternal grandmother, Mary Lee Berry, told a story of taking Landon and friends (Lane included) to the pool when Kelly came to visit in elementary school. Neither Kelly nor Lane remember this meeting, but there was a pool, of course we didn’t notice each other! - And last but not least, Kelly and Lane having gone to the same high school and knowing too many people in common to count. It wasn't a large high school, with a graduating class of 200 every year. And it's made worse if you've ever met Kelly, who has never met a stranger. But timing finally came together Kelly's last year of college, when she started running into Lane everywhere. They were out dancing with a group of common friends, when they finally had the chance to chat. And finally..... ...they knew each other's name. And that's where we sat for 6 more months. They continued to run into each other both in Las Cruces and now in Roswell, but they were only acquaintances. Slowly, this acquaintance turned into friendship, which turned into more. Now over a decade later, we’ve traveled the country together, chased cows, moved to Colorado, been backpacking through National Parks, camped in every forest we find, and skied hundreds of runs. It's a joy for us to look back on our adventures and our relationship and see so many wonderful memories. We’re excited to take this next step in our lives!
Each of you have poured into our lives in a multitude of ways. We are the people we are today because of you; our friends, our family, our community. Thank you for being you!