And...ENGAGED!

We met the new old-fashioned way: on a dating app. A shared love of Willie Nelson led to a match (it was the main reason Taylor swiped right), and then after a few weeks of surprisingly good text conversations about Star Trek: The Next Generation, we met after work at a Kernersville dive bar called Follie's. Despite it being a worknight, we stayed there talking until the place closed at 2 in the morning! Troy later told a friend it was "one of the best first dates he'd ever had". Over the next several months, we discovered we shared the same love of old TV shows, public access television, surrealist art, old Christmas movies, weird sci-fi, bad puns, and the core values that you can build a life on. We both knew pretty early that our lives had changed for good. Our lives changed again soon after when Troy's daughter, Audrey, came to live with him full time. We had been dating a bit less than a year, and then we went from a new couple to a full time parent and a step-parent overnight! In the 2 years since, we'd become a family, with our own traditions (Heroes Con and Autumn Leaves Festival), routines (Audrey always picks the show during dinner), and ways to drive each other crazy (take your pick). Greensboro has become home for all of us, and we'd started a wonderful little life together. In May of 2024, Troy's good friend Harry came into town and suggested a hike to test out his portrait photography skills. With this excellent cover and help from a well-timed banana prop (because no one brings a banana to a proposal, obviously), they pulled off a wonderful surprise proposal and got the pictures to prove it! Taylor said yes before Troy could even read the speech he'd prepared, and the rest is why you're reading this webpage. We're so excited to begin the rest of our story together. Thanks for reading up to this point!