Where do I begin… I could not be more excited for our journey! April of 2009 is when I met Cory. I was working at a local bar and he just happened to come in. I thought he was handsome but didn’t think anything of it. I really couldn’t even tell you how we exchanged phone numbers but we did. Fast forward seven years and I started working at the NNCC full time. And there was Cory again. He “trained” me on my first day. He literally unlocked the door, sat down and said “you know how to bartend. I’ll be right here.” Our shifts always coincided. I would follow his shift or he would follow mine. We started to share a lot about our lives. How our shift was, what we did throughout the week, our up and down relationships, what we wanted in the future for ourselves separately. Then I got the phone call Cory and his brother put in an offer for the bar! In my mind all I could think about was how awesome is it going to be to work for Cory! Let’s fast forward to the good stuff. I was informed from a close friend of Cory’s that he was in love with me. I literally laughed at him thinking he was joking. He started to get teary eyed and told me he was serious and if Cory ever found out he had told me, he would never speak to him again. I thought about that conversation for months. Then there was one night I decided to call Cory. I explained I may have heard some information pertaining to how he felt about me. And honestly I was just being nosey and wanted to know if it were true. Once again, the joke was on me! Cory totally came clean and told me everything as far as how he felt, when his feelings began, how he had already told his family, the list goes on….and so does our story. Our first date was in Punta Gorda. Neither one of us could tell you the place. We were on a roof top looking over the bay. And then for the life of us we couldn’t find a place open to eat. We both remember laughing, talking and singing a lot. And that's where our forever started. I love you boo, FOREVER!

Well.......where do I begin? I'd guess it was somewhere around 2009-2010 that I ran into Carla for the first time. She was working at a great little local bar. I enjoyed her company and found her witty and attractive but don't recall any feelings more than that of a new friendship. Ok, so here's where IT really starts. It's 2016 and I have the opportunity to buy the bar with my brother and do so. Carla and I worked together on pretty much everything. She became my sounding board, my confidant, and uh-oh I'm starting to catch feelings that are completely different than the normal co-worker feelings. I remember being panicked about it because I'm now her boss and she's in a serious relationship, what to do?? What I did was respect both situations and keep the friendship the priority. I recall in 2017 being on the golf course with my brother Chris in St. Louis and telling him I think I'm in love with Carla, needless to say we allowed the next group to play through while he digested that. August 2018.... my all in moment!!!! I take Carla to the airport as she's headed to Chicago. Her plane ends up being delayed 4 hours, and we spent the whole time just talking and being happy; however, when she finally boarded the plane I felt nauseous and completely heartbroken. I called her while the plane was taxiing to the runway and she asked me to fly up. Right then and there I knew we were starting our journey. I was psyched and scared to death at the same time. Several months of dating and multiple trips to Chicago made it clear to me that I loved this woman in a way that I've never loved before. I finally understood the answer to the question "how do you know when it’s love?" YOU JUST DO and I DID!!! I'm marrying my best friend on August 27th in the Windy City. It's gonna be the best day of my life!!! P.S. To you Carla... you're the love of my life and I can't wait to meet you at the end of the aisle come August 27, 2022!!