We thought Mexico a fitting place to begin our marriage journey, with our closest friends and family by our side, because our love story began right here on the Yucatan Peninsula.

In early October 2020, Lily's best friend Isabel, invited some of her husband Erol's dearest friends to his surprise 30th birthday party in Puerto Vallarta. I was lucky enough to be included in this invite, but I could not possibly know how truly fortunate I was. How could I know that I was about to meet the most amazingly kind, thoughtful, and beautiful woman I have ever known? My future wife.

Fate would not make it easy for us though...

We all remember 2020. The earliest days of Covid with the world quickly shutting down and travel (especially international travel) strongly discouraged if not all together banned. Despite the world burning, I donned a mask and headed to the airport. It wasn't until I sat down in my seat on the plane did I even think to check the weather forecast. (Why Lily is choosing to marry a genius like me we will never know). The forecast hit like a gut punch. A Category 4 hurricane Delta was headed straight to our resort and set to make landfall the very next day. It would be a total washout or worse and I would be lying if I didn't strongly consider getting up and walking off that plane right then and there. Something told me to keep my seat, and I couldn't be happier about that decision.

I remember standing in the lobby as Isabel, Shay, and Lily walked into the front door that very first day and was immediately infatuated with the tall, beautiful, blonde girl on the right. Game over for this Gringo.

We enjoyed a couple hours of fun by the pool before the skies opened up. Adventured through a rainy morning of ATV's and ziplines. And then experienced the pure chaos of being told our resort was being evacuated and that we would be shipped by school buses to an undisclosed location in the Mexican jungle. Safe to say this cartel style evacuation into parts unknown was not giving anyone the warm and fuzzies. Not exactly the direction we hoped our vacation would be taking. Instead of the school busses, we found a way to rent the last available vehicle on the peninsula, load up all 9 of us and luggage in an SUV, and race the hurricane East to Merida.

I had the pleasure of driving this packed clown car as we navigated military check points, flooded unpaved roads, and the ever-too-frequent bathroom requests from Lily and the ladies. (Amazing how literal hurricane forces are no match for a woman's bladder!) After three hours through the jungles, we made it to a tiny hotel in tiny town. We spent a stormy night in Merida and found last-minute flights home the next day. it was an exciting conclusion to our Mexican adventure but just the beginning of Lily's and my next, greatest, adventure.

After Mexico, Lily and I maintained close communication. Well, put another way, I bothered her so much that she just couldn't forget about me. But after a weekend getaway in Charleston, we solidified our relationship. Long distance wasn't always easy. With Lily finishing Nursing school at Michigan State and me working in Virginia, she would visit me on school breaks and holidays as often as she could and I would crash college house parties and MSU tailgates during her school year. We found a way to navigate these challenges, just as I know we will always find a way to conquer future obstacles together.

The start to our love story is an exciting one. But it is even more exciting for me to consider that this is just the beginning of life's biggest adventure. One that I couldn't be more thrilled and blessed to be taking on with Lily by my side.