We got married! Help us celebrate!

It is agreed among retailers that working the holiday season is the most demanding of their employees. Bringing the shouts of unsatisfied customers, long hours, hurting feet, and missed family events, holidays are a difficult time. This was all made a little easier during one fateful team meeting where we shared our first interaction, it was subtle, full of intrigue and mystery and it left a mark on both of our hearts... Troy: "Hi! Will you buy me this candle?" Sydney: "Sure, I will buy you that candle." Admittedly, this is a bit satirical in nature, but it provided the opportunity for follow up conversation discussing why she did in-fact not buy me that candle. And so we began our journey together, in retail and in life through a series of most fortunate events (Except the car accident, she did not yield).

How did we date? This could be the story of our many adventures, late nights, and friendly gatherings or it might be the instance in-which we began our journey as boyfriend and girlfriend. I am sure you know of the adventures, so I will not bore you with those;) Dating, we dated, we have dated, we are dating, we trust, we love, and we share. Our first Christmas together, wonderful and fair it snowed outside, the wind winding through the walls of the house we had hunkered down in. Laughing comfortably as I held my Master of the Puppets t-shirt that Sydney so lovingly purchased (Metal rules), and her awaiting my gift. I admit, I was not sure what to get her, we had already shared in so many moments, how could I put a price tag on the experience? The answer is Amazon, but no free advertising here only a gift purchased that wholly encompassed her personality. A beautiful heart, with sassy devil horns showing her loving nature and of course the fire within, and thus I posed a question. Troy: "Will you date me?" Sydney: "Yes" Little did I know that the simple three letter exchange of, "yes", would have such an impact in my life and grow to mean so much more upon meeting it again.

Sydney and I have been on a journey, a continuous culmination of events that led us to our engagement and mutual promise of being husband and wife. While digesting the years we have spent together, and the unquestionable vows we have made to each other I surprisingly am left with just that, a question. How can I begin to write our engagement story? Putting such a tranquil and powerful experience into words so that family and friends may share in our love is difficult, more difficult than can be imagined. As such, I will try. "Not all those who wander are lost" A quote that I believe encompasses love, it is not a straight line but one with twists and turns that take you unimaginable places, not lost by any means of the word as long as it is shared together. This journey took us to the most memorable night of Christmas Eve, having finished the family gathering and headed home I secretly had the ring hiding in a location unbeknownst to her, I also had a plan. My plan, as any engagement plan has been made was given a date, time, and place which little did I know would soon be cast out the window to allow a truly magical experience to unfold. As we sat on in our living room, exchanging gifts privately by the netflix fire place and listening to the dogs chew their bones we engaged in a conversation that encompassed our entire time together. Such an amazing moment, moving through our journey together and reflecting on our experiences I had a feeling that this is the moment. A moment that would only come once and I would not let this escape us for it was perfect. I brought out the ring and... Troy: "Are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with me?" Sydney: "Yes I am sure, you are going to make me cry" Troy: "Will you marry me?" *pause* Sydney: "IS this a JOKE!!?" Troy:" No! It is not a joke!" Sydney: "YES! OF COURSE!" That three letter word that I had heard once before had come back, rearing up when needed most. "She said yes"