OUR STORY
We met at a party in May 2005, mere weeks after Riley moved to Philadelphia to start his first Navy assignment. Neither of us can remember the exact circumstances of our first meeting, but we do remember that it was a great party. On January 11, 2007 we went on our first official date to the now-closed Mandoline Restaurant in downtown Philly. The bane of single people everywhere, the bugaboo known as Bad Timing, struck the nascent relationship a week later when Riley moved to Gulfport, MS and spent 14 of the next 24 months deployed to foreign lands. Upon returning to Gulfport for the final time Riley promptly moved across the Atlantic to Rota, Spain.
Fast-forward four years to January 2011. Tracy suggested to Riley (via G-chat; this is a 21st Century romance, after all) that she and her roommate, Hadley S., drop by Riley's apartment in Rota for a visit. One idea led to another, and ere long Tracy was winging over one week prior to Hadley so that we could embark on an epic journey to northern Spain and western France in March 2011. New records for most cheese consumed within a weeks-time and in one sitting were most certainly set over the ensuing days. By the time the trip was over, we were pretty sure that this was it. Riley started saving for a ring in July 2011.
The Möbius ring was one that Tracy had been eyeing for years. Fortunately for Riley, mutual friend Deanne M. knew this, thus she was able to quickly rescue Riley from the very trying process of ring shopping without really knowing what he was looking for. Before buying the ring Riley secured permission for Tracy's hand from her father and mother.
The ring arrived one day in an unremarkable USPS Priority Mail envelope. Since the package had no markings other than an address label, the mailman left the package sitting on the front stoop for Riley to discover upon returning home from work. Holy mackerel. Riley promptly squirreled the ring away in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Europe with Tracy. The ring remained in Riley's pocket for nearly 10 days, including multiple days of hiking and an ascent of the Matterhorn. Riley finally decided the time was right while visiting the ruins of a Slovenian mountain castle on a memorably foggy day. As an old friend once proclaimed, “It's Game Day, be happy!” So shazam! he asked the right question, & whipdash! Tracy gave the right answer. Yippee-ki-yo-ki-yay!
We got married at Ash Mill Farm on September 1, 2013, surrounded by lots of love from family and friends. Photos below courtesy of Annie Hosfeld Photography.
Fast-forward four years to January 2011. Tracy suggested to Riley (via G-chat; this is a 21st Century romance, after all) that she and her roommate, Hadley S., drop by Riley's apartment in Rota for a visit. One idea led to another, and ere long Tracy was winging over one week prior to Hadley so that we could embark on an epic journey to northern Spain and western France in March 2011. New records for most cheese consumed within a weeks-time and in one sitting were most certainly set over the ensuing days. By the time the trip was over, we were pretty sure that this was it. Riley started saving for a ring in July 2011.
The Möbius ring was one that Tracy had been eyeing for years. Fortunately for Riley, mutual friend Deanne M. knew this, thus she was able to quickly rescue Riley from the very trying process of ring shopping without really knowing what he was looking for. Before buying the ring Riley secured permission for Tracy's hand from her father and mother.
The ring arrived one day in an unremarkable USPS Priority Mail envelope. Since the package had no markings other than an address label, the mailman left the package sitting on the front stoop for Riley to discover upon returning home from work. Holy mackerel. Riley promptly squirreled the ring away in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Europe with Tracy. The ring remained in Riley's pocket for nearly 10 days, including multiple days of hiking and an ascent of the Matterhorn. Riley finally decided the time was right while visiting the ruins of a Slovenian mountain castle on a memorably foggy day. As an old friend once proclaimed, “It's Game Day, be happy!” So shazam! he asked the right question, & whipdash! Tracy gave the right answer. Yippee-ki-yo-ki-yay!
We got married at Ash Mill Farm on September 1, 2013, surrounded by lots of love from family and friends. Photos below courtesy of Annie Hosfeld Photography.
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After the wedding we made our way to Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia for our honeymoon. Zanzibar beaches, a Mt. Kilimanjaro climb, some safari action, and a bit o' whitewater rafting on the headwaters of the Nile filled up our time.
We're now living in Seattle, WA until at least April 2015 while Riley completes his Master of Urban Planning degree at the University of Washington. That is, except for a study abroad/exchange semester in the Netherlands in the fall of 2014. Whenever Tracy asks Riley how can anyone be so lucky, he responds simply, "Well, I don't know what to tell you. I'm just lucky. I married you, didn't I?"
We're now living in Seattle, WA until at least April 2015 while Riley completes his Master of Urban Planning degree at the University of Washington. That is, except for a study abroad/exchange semester in the Netherlands in the fall of 2014. Whenever Tracy asks Riley how can anyone be so lucky, he responds simply, "Well, I don't know what to tell you. I'm just lucky. I married you, didn't I?"
