Amor Vincit Omnia

We met in our Sunday best (pretty much jeans) among friends and family members as we attended Ellerbe Road Baptist Church. We both made it there when in town, and we were drawn to each other. We'd always make sure to find one another after a service to exchange witticisms and a joyful, squeezy embrace before parting. We weren't always in town at the same time, but always happy to see one another. Meanwhile, our lives went in entirely separate directions. Years later, those brief parking lot "I better go" chats turned into timely, "lets stay up talking" chats. We quipped and shared and played games, and then...following a fateful karaoke night, we fell seriously in love. After years of sharing life, growing closer, and becoming the proud parents of Zoe, the cutest puppy on the planet Earth, we decided it was time to make this family official. The joyful, lingering hugs never stopped. And now they never will.

On a quick trip to New Orleans to visit friends and cut loose as the COVID-19 vaccine became available, we unpacked our bags into a charming Air BnB to enjoy a night of romance together before linking up with friends for the weekend. We checked in on a Thursday, scoped out a local spot to get some grub. We ate a candlelit dinner at Atchafalaya and played our usual roadtrip game of designing D&D characters on the fly. Then, we headed back to sip wine in the room's hot tub. Lights dimmed, swim suits on, and Bob Dylan playing "Wild Horses", Michael ferreted a small box from his duffel and knelt by the hot tub as Jen played with Zoe, who perched patiently on a nearby chair. "Hey, Jen. Wanna marry me?" Jen definitely wanted to do that. The surprise gave way to joy. We stayed up talking over our future, and we called our family to share the news as soon as it was light out in the morning!