It's time to partayyy!

When Mel and I started spending time together late in the summer of 2015 it was a whirlwind. Spending time with her was disorienting in the best way possible. I felt like I could be the best version of myself with her, and all at once it was exciting and scary to believe we had both found someone we could truly and unconditionally trust had our back. To feel in a relationship so new, the kind of support and push to be better only a true team mate and friend can give. In three years, we’ve shared evenings cooking dinner and enjoyed a few whiskies. Spent many nights together dancing to soul music and losing track of time talking until early into the morning. We’ve shared traveling, the experiences of working in our family businesses, meeting and growing closer with each other’s blood and chosen families, combined our lives and grew together. We have a handful of close mutual friends who tried to set us up for nearly two years before we each decided the timing felt right to try for something new. It turns out those friends were on to something. Mel's life and mine have become intertwined and through that we’ve made new lifelong friends and expanded our family. We’ve hiked, kayaked, walked dogs and rode bikes with some of you. We’ve enjoyed lake days, late night hangs and cook outs with some of you. We’ve spent fun late nights in bars with most of you; and after devoured 3am pizza on the couch with Mel while Bark lounges quietly and Jasper excitingly gnaws on his favorite toys. We can’t wait to get dressed up and celebrate our love with all of you who mean so much to us and have intertwined your lives with ours. So, let’s enjoy some tasty food, good drink, turn the music up loud, dance and look forward to the next chapters of this thing called life!

Once upon a time as CJ blew out the candles at his sixth birthday he wished that in the future he would find a very special friend. Little did he know that at that very moment Melanie was lighting her first candle that would spark the flame of their electric love. And now, for their whole lives, whenever CJ blows out a candle Melanie lights one.