We met in July 2016 at a science conference on Retinal Neurobiology, in Keystone, Colorado. Sparks flew when William sat down next to me one evening at dinner, and by the end of a five day span we decided to try long distance dating from Seattle, WA (William) and Washington, DC (Passley). Although, everyone cautioned us against long distance (and we admit we were a bit trepidatious ourselves), everything clicked. Our love is uncomplicated and serendipitous.

In April 2016 we went hiking at Marymore Falls in the Olympic Peninsula (WA). The hike was light and easy, and ended with a steep incline to the falls. At the edge of the incline William held back, and I was a bit miffed, as I was so excited to the see the falls (but wanted to be a good southern girl and wait for him to ascend). Giving up I finished the ascent alone, exclaiming how gorgeous the falls were! Turning around, William was knelt down on one knee with a gorgeous black diamond wedding ring in his hand. It was completely unexpected, and exactly everything I dreamed. The rest is history.

William and I are planning to elope early the morning of May 8, 2018 on a hiking trail in Seattle, WA. We want to focus exclusively on ourselves on this day, when the first chapter of our lives formally begins. The woods is our sanctuary or church so to speak, and we feel blessed and grateful to celebrate our union in this holy space. More Details to Come