Rachel and Gary were married on May 29! Come celebrate with them.

I had started attending a new church and was looking to get involved and meet new friends. As such, I was part of a giant church group chat of young adults. One day, a mysterious Rachel Klink suggested that those of us who were grad students get lunch on campus every so often. I found it a great idea, so I rsvp’d to join along with about a dozen other people. The day came and one by one those who had rsvp’d began dropping. Finally, there were only two people left coming, so Rachel messaged me telling me not to come. Fortunately for her, I was already on my bike heading to campus. I’m a safe biker so I don’t text and ride - I missed her message! Rachel was planning on just ghosting me, but fortunately for me another student messaged asking to come last minute. Now Rachel had to attend the lunch and meet this strange guy riding his bike to campus. We ate as a threesome for about 20 minutes and then the other student headed back to work. Rachel and I proceeded to ‘eat lunch’ for another hour and a half. Needless to say, we got lunch again. And again. And then exactly 1 month to the hour from when we first met, I asked her to start dating at the top of the Millcreek Canyon Salt Lake Outlook.

Three seasons of dating later, my dad asked if Gary and I wanted to meet them at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon for Labor Day weekend. My first thought was “Gary is going to propose!” I spent the next few weeks trying to unconvince myself of this very convincing thought. When Labor Day rolled around, we drove along a road stretching the developed length of the North Rim and stopped at various lookout points. One particular stop included a picnic lunch and the family favorite Five Crowns card game. Gary seemed quiet and uncomfortable. I knew something was up. About to burst from the pressure, I opened my release valve – a bit of playful mischief – and asked Gary if he was okay. I was fully aware this is a bad question to ask someone who is about to propose. “Oh, in the game?” he asked innocently. “No” I replied… “in life.” He neatly skirted the question. At our final stop, I dashed off for a bathroom break. Gary excused himself too but to “find us a spot to see the sunset” instead. And find he did. Somehow our little corner of the universe was secluded for the fastest three minutes of my life. One second, I was admiring the outlook and the next Gary gave an exacerbated cry of “what are you doing?” Stalling of course. Maybe giving him space? We may not have known what I was doing, but we both knew exactly what came next. The best three sentences Gary has ever said to me were completed with one question. “Rachel, will you marry me?” I hate decisions. But this was the best, most wonderful, easiest decision I have ever made.