We would like to introduce you to Turkey.

Mercedes's story starts with a couch. Soon after moving to Norfolk, VA for a 1 yr teaching position, Lisa bought Mercedes a new couch. So M put her existing couch online to sell. A woman contacted her and asked to see it. When she and her husband arrived to see the couch, they were surprised to discover that they actually knew each other. Infact, M had known the husband, Gabriel since she was 16 and had bought a CD of the wife's (Skye Zentz) music! Needless to say, M happily gave them the couch and they invited her to a concert as a thank you. Skip forward a month, Skye Zentz and band put on a great show. Sai and Mer went to congratulate Skye on an incredible set. Soon after, Skye's food arrived and she went to eat, leaving M&S to chat. A conversation began, Sai was finishing his PhD, Mer had just finished her PhD. They bonded over their love of music and talked all night. They have been inseparable ever since! Mercedes is certain it was fate, Sai's a bit more skeptical. When Sai tells the story, he starts with the band and the great conversation. Fate or coincidence, they cannot wait to spend their life together.

Mercedes is usually the one to suggest a hike. However, one blustery weekend, Saygın was determined to get in nature. Friday night was out, Saturday was Halloween and Sunday Sunday, November 1st, 2021 was a gray, windy day. Their hiking plans got pushed and pushed. First the rain, then Halloween. Finally, after two attempts of a hike, they grabbed a coffee on Sunday and headed to another trail. Turned out, the trail was under construction! So Sai suggested they enjoy their coffee on a swinging bench with a view of a lake. It was there he turned and proposed. It was a day to remember!