We met in July 2017 at Lockheed Martin—two career-switchers who landed on the same team, both looking for a fresh start. At the time, we were each in long-term relationships and had no idea that sitting a few desks apart would eventually lead to forever. What started as casual Friday lunches with coworkers turned into a daily routine of sharing a cube (and Parker pretending not to be annoyed by how many people came by to chat with me). Soon after, we both enrolled in the same SMU master’s program. Parker helped me with homework, drove us to class, and quietly became one of my closest friends. Over time—and after some big life changes—we found ourselves single. Parker’s patience should probably win awards, because it took me a few years (yes, years!) to warm up to dating him. But through it all, he showed up for me, made me laugh, and was always down to catch a game at Buffalo Bros. By the time we graduated, he had already won over my best friends—and eventually, he won me over too. Since then, we’ve been living our best lives: traveling to Mexico and Italy, cheering on the Red Raiders and Stars, and finding any excuse for a patio happy hour. Parker is the kindest, most steady person I know. He fits right in with my big, loud family, and brings balance, calm, and a whole lot of fun into my life. I couldn’t imagine doing life with anyone else.

A few months after I joined Lockheed Martin in 2017, our team introduced a new team member – this small, black-haired girl from Texas Tech whose constant commentary about Niemen Marcus, Dallas, and “I LOVE ...” (typically referring to a boujee patio or Mexican food spot) echoed through our bay of cubicles. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this woman would become my best friend and the person in which I wanted to share the rest of my life. Our friendship initially began as our work team exploited a health issue Bailey had experience – which lead to her having a close parking spot at work – by making her drive us to lunch every Friday. During these lunches, I began to discover who Bailey was outside of work - a thoughtful, driven young woman that would do anything for the people within her circle. Our friendship continued to grow during grad school through group projects, car-pooling to class, and shared disdain for certain classmates. It wasn’t until (as Bailey puts it) “Some Big Life Changes” that we began to hangout in more social settings, and I began to see Bailey as potentially more than a friend. It took some time for Bailey to warm up to dating – time that I filled with dog-sitting Byrd, lawn mowing, etc. – but around the time we graduated from our master’s program, we began to consider our relationship as more than a good friendship. Since then, we’ve enjoyed celebrating big milestones together – birthday trips to Italy, Mexico, and skiing – as well as making the best out of our everyday lives – typically involving Bailey coming up with reasons for drinks on a patio or me using an sporting event as an excuse to go eat chicken wings. We always strive to celebrate each other’s wins while also being each other’s support during challenging times. Bailey is an incredible young woman – loyal, thoughtful, and driven – and brings a work hard, play hard outlook into our lives. I couldn’t imagine doing my life with anyone else.