One spring night in 2012, my friend and I were at Fenian's in Jackson where she was playing open mic and there was this loud group of guys who had obviously had a pretty fun time at Thirsty Thursday. One of them leaned back in his chair and stretched out his arms and hit me in the face! Another one (Zach) said, "hey man, don't hit that girl! I was planning on hitting on her later!" (cheeseball!). I am pretty sure I rolled my eyes and changed seats. A week or two later, I was standing in line for the bathroom at the pub when the same guy approached me as I was admiring the Scottish coat of arms hanging nearby. He asked me what my last name was and I replied it was English to which he responded his last name was German and that it was "Parchman, like the penitentiary." He was a true charmer! We talked for a while and exchanged numbers. The next day, I broke my phone! When I got a new one, this guy texted me and said he really enjoyed meeting me. When I asked who it was, he wouldn't respond! Later, he'd tell me that he thought I was giving him the cold shoulder. Finally, I texted him again a few days later asking if it was indeed Zach. It was! We met up and began this silly adventure! First date: Fenian's First official date: The Waffle House Fun fact: The Scottish coat of arms now sits atop our mantle, puzzling everyone who visits. It was the first thing to enter the house when we bought it in 2018 and Zach proposed to me right in front of it moments later. Another fun fact: It turns out "Morrow" actually is Scottish. (Thanks ancestry.com!)

I thought it was just going to be another night out with the guys, another crash and burn at the pub, but I saw her. It was her smile and her big blue eyes that caught my attention from the tables in the back of the room, though it wasn’t the first time I saw her in that quaint little place. This time though, I got the nerve to stand up and make my way over to where she was standing by the bathrooms. She was watching her friend play a few songs for open mic night, and she was singing along to all the songs. I struck up a conversation, so far so good. I can’t remember everything we talked about that night, but we found out we were a bit polar opposite in lots of different ways. She seemed quite the artsy type maybe even a little bit of the hippie stereotype that would attend USM. She was a rule breaker and growing up she’d rather ask for forgiveness than permission. She was living life to the fullest traveling all over the country and to this day has nearly incurable wanderlust. As for me, I was the frat boy that made timeframes and checked and planned damn near everything. Wound tight is the phrase. We did find some commonality that night though. Neither one of us is Scottish. A week or so had passed when I decided to shoot her a text to see what she was doing and if she wanted to hang out. “New phone, who dis?” It wasn’t exactly that, but it was close. Figuring I was given a false number, I let it go and called my buddies instead. It was some days later that I guess she put it all together and “Who Dis?” turned into “Is this Zach?”, and our conversations picked right back up where we left off, and away our relationship went! ...

Not long after this, unbeknownst to me, she was moving into my apartment without me knowing. I sent her on a fun scavenger hunt for a key to the apartment so she could get her stuff. She took it as a different sign, brought more stuff, and now I know how to use conditioner and if needed, a pumice stone. Seven years and a ton of adventures later, we finally bought a house together in November and closed on it the day I proposed. We’re doing everything a married couple does, and in my opinion does right. I take every chance to dote on her to everyone I talk to and stare at her whenever I get the chance. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I thank God every time I see her. Now if you’ll excuse me, we’re off to our favorite spot in the house to do our favorite thing together… cook. We’re cooking, you fool.