Eight years ago, Jackie moved from Tampa to Austin with Layla in tow after 36 years of Florida life. Texas was never part of the plan, and meeting her person there was the last thing she expected. Especially not a Coon-Ass Cowboys fan. Then fate quietly stepped in. Jackie’s first impression was Mark’s cowboy boots. Something she never imagined finding attractive, yet somehow they looked unfairly good on him. What began as simple curiosity quickly turned into something that felt easy, familiar, and right. With time, what they were building became unmistakably real. Mark said “I love you” first, allegedly by accident, as Jackie was heading out the door. Moments later, she got to her car and excitedly tried to text her best friend, Stephanie, to share the news, and accidentally texted Mark instead. It pretty much set the tone for their relationship. A lot of love and a lot of laughing at themselves. When COVID hit, everything changed almost instantly. Moving in together was not part of some grand romantic plan. It simply made sense. Their first place was a 750 square foot Eastside apartment on a street called French Place, and somehow it was perfect. It was the four of them, Jackie, Mark, Layla, and Tucker (Mark’s beloved Yorkie), all packed into that little home. With the world essentially closed for business, they spent their days the way they loved most: boating on Lake Travis (201 days in 2020 to be exact), riding the Harley through Hill Country, Mark cooking for Jackie, and slowly finding their rhythm as a couple while navigating a pandemic together. Those months made it clear they fit in every way, whether they were doing nothing, doing everything, or laughing at each other’s quirks. Two people who once fully expected to be lifelong bachelor and bachelorette realized how natural it felt for them to choose each other every single day. In October of ’23, their family grew again when they welcomed Frank, also known as Frankenstein or Frankie, their energetic little chaos gremlin who immediately claimed his place in the pack. When it came time to propose, Mark did something that reflected exactly who he is and exactly why Jackie loves him. He told Jackie he was helping a friend move in Fort Worth but instead coordinated a top secret trip to Tampa to ask her father, Tom, for his blessing. Impressively, he accomplished this mission in about 36 hours. Eight months later, they found themselves surrounded by their friends on the most beautiful trip of their lives in the British Virgin Islands. Jackie knew that before reaching a planned spot called ‘The Cathedral’, tucked within the boulders and trails of The Baths in Virgin Gorda, there would be a swim and a hike involved. What she did not know was that Mark had been carrying a ring with him the entire time. After watching him wake up a little worse for wear, take a rally nap on the sundeck, then swim a quarter mile from the dinghy to shore, a proposal was the last thing on her mind. By the time they finally made their way through the boulders and stepped into the sunlit cavern, everything else faded away. In that quiet moment, Mark asked Jackie to marry him. This moment felt like it was completely theirs, perfectly timed, and is a memory they will carry with them forever. At the heart of everything they share is family. The one they come from, the one they have created, and the one they are building together. After years of love, laughter, loss, growth, and everyday magic, they cannot wait to celebrate this next chapter with the people who mean the most to them.