On 4.24.15, Paul and Nikki met in the Emory Baseball Press Box during the Eagles' Senior Day game. Nikki was a senior at Emory who was gearing up for her summer research position at Los Alamos Laboratories. Paul was a 2012 Emory alum who was visiting his friends before leaving to play baseball in the Frontier League. They spent the afternoon watching the game together with their mutual friend Jared Welch. Paul thought Nikki was pretty -- Nikki thought Paul had a charming smile. Fast forward a few weeks and they saw each other again at Jared's going away party. They spent the afternoon playing games and joking with friends. Nikki thought Paul was goofy, cute, and "a very large human" and she decided that she and Paul would be friends. Paul liked Nikki too, but had no interest in being "friends". That night Paul asked Nikki on a date. Nikki was caught off guard so she declined the invite. Thankfully, one of Paul's guiding principles in life is 'persistence'. In May 2015, Paul and Nikki met up with a group of friends at Mother's Bar in Atlanta. Paul (being the responsible adult he is) didn't want to drink and drive, so Nikki let him sleep on her couch that night. The next morning, Paul insisted on taking Nikki out to breakfast to Goldbergs Bagels to apologize for trying to steal her McDonald's sausage and egg biscuit the night before. The oh-so-romantic atmosphere at Goldbergs is what sealed the deal. They laughed all morning. To this day, Nikki remembers distinctly thinking "for pete's sake, you have to stop smiling so much or this guy is going to think you're insane". From there, they went on more dates. Paul visited Nikki in CA, then NM. He asked her to be his girlfriend in Downtown Santa Fe. They fell in love and told each other in Central Park in NY. And Paul asked Nikki to marry him overlooking the skyline of Atlanta from Piedmont Park. The wedding date, 11/3/18, marks the 1289th day since Paul and Nikki first saw each other at the Emory Baseball field.

Nicole Elizabeth Pendleton (Nikki) was born in California on August 18th, 1993 to Dawn and Jeff Pendleton. She's an only child, though she's had many furry "brothers and sisters" in her lifetime, according to her mother. Additionally, Nikki is in fact the only human in history to ever domesticate a three-legged squirrel (Willy- short for Sir William Shakespeare, of course). Nikki graduated from Los Gatos high school, where she was a member of the varsity volleyball team (outside hitter), and went on to play club volleyball at Emory University in Atlanta. Though she initially planned on a career in medicine, Nikki took an interest in environmental science while at Emory. Following her undergrad career, she enrolled at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory, where she earned a Masters of Public Health with a focus in Environmental Health and Computational Earth Sciences. Currently, Nikki works for Triage Consulting group in Atlanta, GA. There, she helps hospitals monitor reimbursement to identify and recover lost revenue. Though this may not sound particularly enthralling to some people, Nikki has an attention to detail and an excitement for tackling new challenges that allows her to really enjoy what she does. Her goal is to eventually be promoted to manager at Triage, with world domination coming sometime soon after that. Nikki’s hobbies include spending time with friends, making fancy soaps, sewing dog sweaters, and complaining about my taste in movies (she prefers animated ones). One of Nikki's main passions is caring for the people around her. Since coming to Atlanta, she's made several lifelong friends who mean the world to her. Anyone who knows Nikki knows that she cares deeply for her friends and family. She's incredibly excited to get to celebrate our wedding day with all of you.

Paul John Schwendel IV was born on August 9, 1989 to Karen Seckinger and Paul Schwendel Sr. At an early age, Paul took a strong interest in America’s favorite pastime, baseball. It is rumored that before he took his first steps, he threw his first slider. His first words were “Derek Jeter”. He was throwing cheddar off a mound by age 6. The first picture he ever drew was a pitcher’s arm with optimal external rotation. His first primary school essay was written about the benefits of girthing in the off-season. All jokes aside, Paul’s work ethic in his baseball career has crossed over into all areas of his life and is the reason that I fell in love with him in the first place. Believe it or not, Paul was only 5’9 for most of high school. Despite being relatively small for a pitcher, he worked hard to get onto the Emory Baseball team. He graduated from Emory with a degree in Economics and was drafted by the Texas Rangers. During his time with the Texas Rangers, Paul was pulled from Rookie ball to low A to high A. After he sustained an injury in his elbow, he returned to Atlanta where we first met. Paul now works in sales for Procurri, a company that specializes in data center equipment and lifecycle services. Sales has been a great fit for him since he enjoys fast-paced and competitive work (and I personally think his charming personality and bright smile help him get customers). The value he places on “persistence” has been beneficial not only in securing new customers, but also in making sure his customers get high quality services in a speedy manner. I could not be more proud of him. When Paul isn’t working, you can find him lifting at The Rack, throwing a ball for Moxie, watching a football game with his brother, sister, & friends, or dancing with me in the kitchen while we cook dinner. Paul is an athlete, a goofball, a workaholic, and my best friend. He embraces the struggles that accompany life and because of that I know that he will be a remarkable husband.