Save the date

Like so many people today, we initially 'met' online. It was a few weeks before we met in person because James was living in Wickenburg, or as he nefariously claimed, “Phoenix - Other”. Forgiving that one piece of geographic fake news, Gary agreed to let James pick him up for dinner. When Gary opened the door the first thing he said was “so I have this new dog Oliver and he's kind of unpredictable." Gary had to finish getting ready and told James to "just sit real still." When he returned Oliver was curled up at James' feet. James likes to remind Gary that Oliver is a good judge of character. Gary likes to remind James that he and Oliver were merely additions to his collection of misfits he rescued. Oliver has since become James' dog, forgetting that Gary rescued him and is his benefactor. It was not love at first sight - for Gary and James - or for James and the dogs, but we all grew on one another and settled into a perfectly imperfect life together.

Last Fall we went to San Francisco for an end-of-Summer vacation, a place we both love. On the final day of the trip, we took a picnic to Ocean Beach - on a rare fog-free day. At the end of the afternoon as we were leaving, James said to Gary: "you know how you always wanted a beach wedding." With trepidation, Gary replied "yes?" James said: "well, how about a beach engagement?" - and then he popped the question. Gary said: "yes, with conditions." When James asked him what those conditions were Gary replied: "oh, there are too many to enumerate." A year later, on Sunday, September 3, 2017, we 'destination eloped' with a few friends. We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you at a reception later this Fall. See you in Phoenix!