We're Getting Married!

On May 19th of 2022, Jack and Claire had their first date at Radio Coffee & Beer in Austin. Claire was considering a move at the time, and for a brief moment, it seemed like the relationship was going to dissipate after three lovely dates. After a good cry on his friend (and now Best Man) Lucas's shoulder, Jack pulled himself together and suggested to Claire that they continue spending time together as "just friends," without worrying about their future plans. The "just friends" era only lasted for one date, as they had their first kiss on June 12th. From there, Claire and Jack fell in love quickly, and joyfully discovered each other's mutual passion for the arts (architecture and cinema aren't that different!), uncoordinated dancing to Bruce Springsteen's music, general goofiness and tomfoolery, road trips, the dark chocolate peanut butter cups at Trader Joe's, Galaxy Cafe, local theater, and unhinged sing-alongs to The Sound of Music (okay, that one's just Claire). After only a few months of dating, it was clear (though unspoken at the time) that Claire and Jack had found in one another a life partner, someone with whom they wanted to spend the rest of their lives. Claire was immediately welcomed into Jack's small-ish family in Texas; likewise, Jack was embraced by Claire's rather enormous family, who all together comprise about 50% of the Omaha population. Over the last two years, Claire has gotten Jack back on a bicycle, taught him the art of cooking, and even more recently helped him discover the cathartic power of running; Jack, meanwhile, has made Claire a Martin Scorsese fan girl through many date nights watching the master filmmaker's (very R-rated) movies. Love is all about give and take, so it's apropos that in the following weeks Jack will run a 5K with Claire, while Claire will go to see Bob Dylan in concert with Jack. Together, Claire and Jack have also faced some of the challenges and uncertainties that are a natural part of being alive. Through some of these harder times, they discovered a mutual trust for and deep understanding of one another, ultimately building a relationship based on care, support, honesty, faith and empathy. With that foundation, they've been able to come out the other side of life's many challenges even stronger than before. It's that strength and commitment that led Jack to propose to Claire on February 14th, 2024. Certainty is a tough thing in this world, but Jack's never been as certain about anything as he is that Claire is the love of his life. Claire is also certain of this, although she's perhaps even more certain that she has the correct opinion about Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Claire and Jack are immensely excited to get married this October, and thrilled that they will get to celebrate this big milestone with their family and friends. As anyone who has ever been to a celebration with Jack and Claire knows, though, you will need to watch out for some spectacularly awful (but brilliant!) dance moves. You've been warned!