You have been invited not as guests, but as family. Our wish is to have everyone we love in one place, if only for a little while.

Norma and I met in a classroom, she, a member of a hiring committee, and me, a candidate for a vacant teaching position. Over the years, Norma went from my mentor and cherished friend, from crush to necessity. With an incredible kiss on September 27, 2019, she became my life. We've pulled one another through a pandemic, distance learning, the loss of loved ones, and a winter storm. But we've also shared more joy than I ever thought possible. Here's to finding forever with just a glance.

Chris surprised me with a trip out to the Hill Country during our Fall Break of 2022. In the days leading up to our get-away, he gave very little detail, only to say that he had handled Tucker's boarding and that I should pack my ''flower dresses". As we arrived at the FireSong Ranch in Spicewood, TX, he pulled up to a little casita where, unbenownst to me at the time, we would spend the next 3 days planning our forever together. As I admired the view and read the sweet love story of the ranch owners that sat on the counter, Chris paced our casita, checking, what I assumed, was to make sure they had provided everything that was promised. 10 minutes after our arrival, Christopher Mink called for me to turn around, and in tears asked me to love him forever. And I said, “Yes! Always and Forever, Yes!” We knelt together, crying, and the next chapter to our story began.