We're Getting Married!

Shalene and I met years ago, back in the 5th grade at Houdini Elementary. I don't think she realized this, but most of us boys, including myself had a HUGE crush on her when she came to our school. We were classmates through graduation where I had sneakily told her about my crush on her in our senior yearbook! Fast forward to many year later, we re-connected online while she was teaching abroad and that she may end up moving back to the US! A little voice in my head said maybe my childhood dream would actually come true someday. Then months later, while out snowboarding with my good friend Chris, Mary's restaurant got brought up and he had asked if Shalene's family still ran that place. No sooner could I reply, my phone went off, and it was Shalene commenting, "Nice bird dog" on my latest picture of Sky out hunting with me. It was from there, we started talking and she was now back in the USA! A few days passed and I invited her over for dinner. I made the best Monterrey Chicken on the Green Egg of course, and when she came to the door I answered it with, "Shalene Huth! I've had a crush on you since the 5th grade!..." and we were inseparable since. That takes us till last December when we got engaged behind our dream home out in the country and we can not wait to celebrate with all our family and friends this summer!

Patrick and I have had quite the year, from much sadness and loss to much to be thankful for and appreciative of: finding one another, desiring to start a family, and the ability to sell our houses and purchase a dream home with a backyard for hunting and the ability to live out in the middle of no where. Being that Patrick is the avid hunter, our back woods was designed to be a safe haven to grow the deer... acres for them to enjoy and feel safe, until bow season anyways. Well right before Christmas, I had asked Patrick if we could go for a walk in the woods so I could find the perfect Christmas stick (turning it into a sun catcher as a present for my mom). Saturday morning rolled around, the first Saturday where I didn't have to Coach and Patrick didn't have to work, a rare occasion. He was up early, showering, getting dressed nice, even flossing. He said to me, "I thought you wanted to go out into the woods today for that stick." He was right, per usual, so I on the other hand, just rolled out of bed threw on my work coat and heavy boots and we made the trek to our back woods. As we made our way through the last remaining rows of corn, I was looking down, in search for that perfect stick. As unbeknownst to me, he led me in a certain direction, to when I finally found my stick and looked up, I saw the letter "W" on the tree. As I was about to ask him "What's up with the ...." my eyes zoomed out, and I read the word "Will"... of course it only took 2 milliseconds for my brain to connect the dots and I yelled out "OF COURSE YES" as he started laughing and replied, "Keep Walking." Of course I yelled back, "No need! I know what it says, you had me at the W, yes!" But still we made the nice walk through the woods, with our eyes filled with tears and hands held, passing by the "you" and the "marry" and ending up at the "me?" with Patrick getting down on one knee and presenting the most beautiful ring he picked out all on his own, without my knowledge of him even going. To say I was surprised is an understatement. That day, December 16, started off with being the hugest heart break (the day our son would have been born) to it being one that now brings a smile to my face having selected a life partner, who is the most romantic, thoughtful, caring, and creative man one would hope to find. As we walked back to our house that day, we took it so slowly to soak it all in, neither of us wanted to unfreeze the most perfect moment either of us had in a long time.