Choosing a wedding date, a day that will be celebrated annually for the rest of our lives, was something Raquel wanted to ensure wasn't arbitrary. Her grandma Dorothea and late gramps Nick wed on July 16, 1955. So, when July 16 fell on a Saturday in 2022, the choice became clear. We hope you can join us on this special day! For the non-readers, please feel free to skip the longwinded story that follows—> Click through the site using the tabs above or if on a mobile device, click the three horizontal lines on the top left to view other sections :)

Cody was on his fifth round of the upstairs circuit when Raquel caught his eye.... Just kidding. This is actually pretty anticlimactic. Neither of us remember the moment we met. All we can say is that we met as college freshmen and new employees of the SRWC. Raquel recalls working in the pro-shop with Cody's sister, Sam, and her saying something to the effect of "my brother Cody just got a job here too." Perhaps that was the first moment Raquel learned a Cody Stipcic existed. Regardless, it was during that first semester at the SRWC and we became good pals fast. At the time we were both dating our high school counterparts. P.S. Although Cody was born exactly 2 weeks before Raquel, she is convinced his heart didn't actually start beating until she graced the earth (duh).

Cody says he valued Raquel's friendship because whenever he had a party and asked her to come, she never "flaked".... even if that meant she was submitting papers due at midnight while ignoring his "where are you" phone calls and then rushing off to his college apartment...where she would typically fall asleep during the festivities. She would also always chip in for the late night pizza. Side note: this college apartment was in a complex called White Hall, and is also the apartment complex Raquel lived in from birth-age 3. (Read: foreshadowing?) Raquel still falls asleep at inconvenient times and always encourages a party and late night pizza. Old habits die hard. Raquel valued Cody's friendship because he always included her in every gathering, called her when she was late, nagged her to go to the SRWC on days she didn't have to just to keep him company, and made her laugh harder than anyone else. Or maybe it was because he was always there to listen to every detail of her newest adventure, or because he made the best jungle juice at Halloween one year... or because despite having a girlfriend and a million other friends, he always made sure Raquel and her posse (aka Rach and Em) were taken care of on nights full of shenanigans. When Raquel had to leave work early in September 2012 to go to the hospital for her ailing grandpa, Cody was there to pick up her pieces (for the first time). (Read: Cody always loved Raquel, and it's also possible Raquel always loved Cody)

February 2014: Cody sees Raquel at the SRWC and chats about what to get his girlfriend for Valentine's Day March 2014: Cody becomes single; Raquel screenshots the text and sends it to Rach (Bride's Favorite Person ever), who replies with something to the effect of "oh good, you can marry him now" And the rest is history. Kidding. But kinda not really. Soon after, Raquel was on a date in Acorn Alley and approaching the restaurant when she ran into Cody. Her heart sank. She felt guilty. Like she had been caught red handed. But why? Cody is just the pal from the SRWC. What Raquel didn't know: Cody (obviously) had a 'crush' on her. He planned to attend the pre and post parties of the SRWC banquet that year, to be held at the new KSU hotel on 4/12/14, even though he no longer worked there. Raquel asked Cody for a ride because she didn't want to walk across town in heels. Cody arrives to the pre-party in his Miata. Everyone seemed to be acutely aware that he was there for Raquel, who remembers very little other than telling everyone how funny Cody is. He takes her to the banquet in his Miata and complimented her dress. (Read: the first more-than-friendly compliment). Taken together, 4/12/14 was the day their relationship blossomed. Raquel had a fairytale evening where she was voted "Mrs. Rec" (+given a tiara) & Employee of the Year for SRWC Member & Guest Services. She was also in the midst of deciding to move to California for graduate school. (Read: She was overwhelmed) That night, all sorts of tears were shed about leaving Kent, not only her college town but her hometown. Where literally *it all* began. And also for leaving the SRWC, where she worked during all 3 of her KSU years (Read: she graduated early; *nerd*). Cody consoled Raquel; took her outside to "look at the moon," and the rest is history. Truly. By May 25, 2014 at approximately 11:43pm, facilitated via a text from Cody's mom, they were official. (That's a story for another time)

From the moment they were officially together, it was like a love train that couldn't be stopped (ew, I'm sorry y'all had to read that). Cody secured a job at Cisco in San Jose, CA over Valentine's Weekend 2015. He graduated from KSU in May and Shaam (Best Man Extraordinaire) drove him to California shortly after. Raquel and Cody moved into an apartment together in Sunnyvale, CA in June. Raquel found Ollie on Craigslist in December. In April 2016 they moved to San Jose to be closer to work. Masters degrees were earned. In June 2019 Shaam flew out to CA to (again) help them move away from the Bay due to Raquel's predoctoral internship in the Central Coast of CA. Cody proposed on a Monday evening hike in their back yard in June 2020. After Raquel became Dr. Morson in July 2020, The Morson's took over Shaam's favorite role -lol- and helped them move to Washington due to Raquel's postdoctoral fellowship. (Read: Cody agreed to move wherever Raquel's training took them). Cody was recruited by Amazon Web Services, and then back to Cisco. Raquel is now a Licensed Clinical-Forensic Psychologist. Dreams have been pursued, and exceeded, together. And now it appears Washington is home. Actually, Kent will always be home, and we're SO excited to share this special little town with everyone we love most.

#KentWaitToBeStipcic