Please join us for a wedding shower in honor of the future Mr. & Mrs!

There are two different ways I like to tell the story of how Preston and I met: 1. Stating simply. "We met on a walk". 2. The story is a bit more complex, here we go: I had recently moved to Indiana again in 2020/2021 to be with my family amongst the chaos of COVID. In the beginning of 2021, I had reapplied to University to finish off my bachelor’s degree and to get back on my feet. I had taken a step back from dating, wanted to focus on myself and growing within my career. Jump to July 2021, my younger sibling had returned from an out-of-state archery tournament with our parents and had asked me to drive them to Broad Ripple Village so they could have lunch with a school friend that worked in the neighborhood. I decided to bring a book and hang out awhile while they had lunch since I had not been to Broad Ripple upon my return to Indy and COVID regulations were slowly lifting around this time. I was getting Ice cream at BRICS when I looked up and saw this tall, lanky blonde dude on a skateboard wearing a cool shirt and I thought to myself, “Oh, he’s cute” and went back to my treat and my book. It was getting hot out, so I started to walk around the Village to find a new shady spot to read and upon my meandering, I saw the skateboard person again doing kick flips behind Huntington Bank, thinking “Oh, there he is again”, and thought nothing of it. I eventually made my way to the Monon Trail and started walking north when I bumped into him a THIRD time, only he was walking his adorable dog instead of skating around on his board. I walked past him without saying anything, not wanting to bother him, only for him to catch up to me and compliment my shirt. From there, a conversation bloomed. This first meeting lasted almost an hour, just talking about life, our interests and discovering all of the little things we have in common. It felt like I was meeting someone who could speak to my soul; it excited but terrified me at the same time. I had decided to stop dating yet here was this incredible person! We had our first date later that week, which lasted 9 hours. A second date a few days later, lasting 14 hours. A third date, lasting all day. See the pattern? Spending time together felt as easy as breathing and soon our love grew. We moved in together just before our first year as a couple and have been inseparable ever since. Preston has taught me so much about myself but one of the things I admire most about him is his tenacity for life. He keeps me active, appreciates every little detail within nature, and has the ability to uplift everyone around him. He is all heart, and I am beyond grateful to be a part of that heart, to share our lives together and to grow into the best version of myself with him by my side.

Leading up to the time Jess and I met, I was experiencing a lot of changes. I was entering a season of healing and had recently left a job I loved very much in favor of my mental health, which led me to move from the Eastside of Indianapolis to Broad Ripple Village. The first month in that new space was full of healing, growth and revelation of self. The morning right before Jess and I met, I had an early lunch with my best friend Calvin in Broad Ripple Village. I remember discussing themes of independence and relationships; how ironic I must have sounded in hindsight. I left my house and got on my skateboard; little did I know I was being casually watched by someone who would change my future. Truthfully it was the best day of skateboarding I have ever had, landing more kick flips that day than ever before. Eventually I put the skateboard away and went to walk my dog Costello up the Monon Trail. Jess was in the middle of finding a new reading spot as Costello and I approached her on the trail. I took a headphone out of my ear so I could complement her shirt as I walked by her; this was an honest compliment not an intent to flirt… though I'm glad flirtation was returned. We quickly struck up a conversation as we discovered my dog Costello, named after Elvis Costello, shared a namesake with this cute stranger's childhood dog, who was named "Elvis" after the same singer. We kept talking about art and energy, faeries and mushrooms, God and culture, until she commented on my Herbie Hancock tattoo. We talked about Herbie for little bit when she told me her brother had the same tattoo in a different spot; one example of the many synchronicities between our two lives. This conversation was so easy for both of us; we very naturally connected as we walked, a rare occurrence for two introverts. We walked all the way to 75th St., around 14 blocks from Broad Ripple Village, and as we were walking back it started to rain but the sun was out! Staying dry under the canopy of trees, the sun shined through reflecting off each rain drop, creating a magical backdrop for our meeting. We walked and talked for well over an hour and exchanged information. I remember everything she was wearing, from her glasses to her shoes. I remember the feeling of lightness I had, like everything was shimmering inside and around me. I immediately called Calvin and told him what happened. Once I got off the phone with him, I wrote a song, got a call that my bike was ready immediately after that and spent the rest of the day in wonder at what had happened! My head and heart were dancing, daydreaming about the future, trying to mitigate my hopes and expectations, thanking God and the trees for what had happened and optimistically expecting nothing but the best to come from this powerful encounter that we had just experienced. We started dating right away. We could spend hours in the woods or listening to music and sharing songs. My head continued to get clearer as our love grew, I found myself growing and healing quickly as we drew closer to each other. We moved in together the Summer of 2022 and haven't looked back. My relationship with Jess has refined and healed me in so many ways. She's shown me how to be free as well as how to be gracious with myself. She sees things for how they really are and is free from the desire to control them, she loves without wanting anything in return. Since I've been loving Jess, I have never been so calm or balanced. I have never felt so understood or so free. Conversation flows freely as it comes, and silence is honored as it is needed. She is there with me when my head is in the clouds or my spirit is in the sky, she never brings me down but is always there to ground me as I'm floating around on obscurity. I love her so much, I love her artistic mind and curious spirit. I have so much confidence in our path together and I'm ecstatic to see who we grow into as we grow together!