We're getting married!

Like all great millennial love stories, theirs began with a swipe right. On Bumble, to be exact, so Tess can’t even pretend Parker messaged first. (For anyone unfamiliar with the rules: Bumble requires women to start the conversation. Take that, patriarchy.) Tess will tell you she was immediately drawn to Parker’s photos, especially one of him hiking, because she was “looking for a granola man.” Little did she know Parker is not, in fact, a hiker, camper, or "Granola man," but he did once take a very convincing hiking photo. Their first date was at an Italian restaurant, followed by an escape room, despite Tess never having done one and Parker having done many. They say timing is everything, and funny enough, that same year Tess had decided to start travel nursing. Just eight months into dating, she moved from Tennessee to Massachusetts for her very first contract. Knowing something this good was worth holding onto, they jumped headfirst into long-distance. Parker worked remotely and traveled north on long weekends, while Tess blocked off time to come back to Nashville for the important things, like Parker’s birthday. Those three months apart only strengthened their relationship and sparked what they fear may be a lifelong love affair with the state of Massachusetts. They spent their time together slurping oysters and exploring Providence, New Bedford, Boston, Salem, New Haven, and even New Hampshire during peak foliage season. When Tess’s contract ended, she returned to Nashville to wait out the remainder of Parker’s lease. What followed were several years of traveling the country together for nursing contracts, an impressive number of which happened to be in Massachusetts. Combined, they’ve spent over a year of their relationship there, along with time in North Carolina, Nebraska, and, of course, Tennessee. Despite Parker still not being a hiker, the two of them have embarked on the greatest adventure of their lives. Together, they’ve visited three national parks (with four and five coming soon!) and twenty states. Most of their adventures revolve around a great cup of coffee, an incredible meal, especially sushi or ramen, and the best company either of them could ask for. They feel incredibly lucky to have found their forever adventure buddy, even if that means Parker has to sleep among spiders, and Tess can never eat cheap sushi again. While their travels have taken them across states and time zones, they know the real journey is the one they’re building together, one filled with love, laughter, and a lifetime of adventures, even when the traveling slows and the stories grow longer.