It was another year that I contemplated moving out of Roanoke because well I just didn't have much luck in the romance department. Don't get me wrong, I loved my life, my friends, family, my job; I just needed some excitement! That excitement started the night I went to Martin's Downtown Restaurant in March 2017. I was hanging out with a mutual friend at the time when I first met Derek who was watching hockey (no surprise there). My initial thought was that he looks like someone fun to go to a hockey game with... I had seen him a couple more times at Martin's hanging out with his same group of friends until one Thursday night I decided to go and talk to him. Well for all those hockey fans this was the year before the Capitals won the Stanley Cup and the night that I decided to talk to him the Penguins had just beat the Caps in the playoffs, so you can imagine how Derek was feeling at this point. He was sitting at the bar staring up at the TV when I went up to him. His reaction is instilled in my brain because he gave me the deer in headlights look, I guess because he was so caught off guard and not expecting me to say anything. I didn't realize that he was sulking over his team losing until later but from that moment we hit it off in conversation that carried over through text and into the weekend. The next day he asked me, "What are we doing this weekend?" That Saturday night was our first date at Beamer's Restaurant downtown. That was a memorable evening for both of us. He loves to reminisce about me smiling at him that night and talking for hours. From that point the rest is truly history... After that date, I think we both agree that we could see our future being together. Together making so many memories! I could not imagine my life without Derek in it. He is everything and more that I have been looking for in a significant other! He makes me laugh every single day and holds me close when days are tough. I can't wait for forever with him!

It was just a normal Thursday back in 2017, hanging with the guys at Martins, hockey playoffs in full swing (so naturally I was more focused on that than conversations with anyone). It wasn’t the happiest of times as the Caps had either just lost to the Pens in a game or completely lost the series, the specifics don’t matter as loss is a loss, when Kristin came up to talk to me. Here I am sulking at the bar when this very attractive lady comes up to talk and ask what I am drinking, and I freeze and just stare at her for a second (I know she will never forget that look). After the initial awkwardness settled, we hit off a conversation and were pretty much inseparable for the rest of the night. Because of that immediate connection I knew I wanted to know more about her, so I ask her when we are hanging out next. Two days later we are on our first date at Beamer’s, and I will never forget that gorgeous girl with the perfect smile sitting across from me the whole time. From that day on I don’t believe there was a day we didn’t talk or a weekend, or weekday at that, that we didn’t see each other. After that the rest is history! I have never felt so close and so in love with someone like I do with Kristin and it has been easily one of my favorite things about being with her. We have done so many things together I never would have thought I’d have someone to do them with and I am so thankful for that. Whether it be the countless hockey games we have attended, finding a new favorite bar in DC only because we wanted to see the Game of Thrones pop up bar (ridiculous line to get it), or planning a spontaneous trip to Asheville just so she can prove it’s one of the best places for the kind of people that we are. But it doesn’t have to be a big trip or fun activity that we are doing to find the joy in being with Kristin. Seeing her every day just brightens my world more and more and I cannot wait to continue our path forward, because I know it can only get better from here.

We have over four years of memories with each other. It hadn't even been a year of us being together to know that we wanted to live together. We moved into our first rental house in Grandin Village in February 2018. We got our dog, Oshie, when he was eight weeks old in May 2018. We bought our house in Cave Spring in February 2020. Throughout all of these milestones we have been to dozens of hockey games, movies, concerts, breweries, and weddings. Every summer there has been at least one beach trip. I can't forget trips to Derek's family cabin. Through all the fun times we had some rough times attending two funerals of my Granddaddy and Derek's Meemaw's passing. We have stood by each other's side through the good times and the bad and that has only made us stronger and the best partners. We are so excited to share our big day with you and continue to cherish the moments of being together.