We got married!

Montana and Zach met on a foot bridge crossing College Creek at the United States Naval Academy. That might sound like a romantic start to their love story, but in truth it was far from it. Mustering all his social etiquette training from the U.S. Air Force Academy, Zach asked Montana if she was the captain of the sailing team after seeing an invitation to go sailing sent out to the student body. While this sounded like an innocent inquiry to him, it was in fact a loaded question to Montana. Despite the initial miscue, Montana and Zach spent a lot of time together while Zach was on exchange at the Naval Academy. Forced together by their shared lack of athletic ability, Montana and Zach spent hours chatting on the sideline of their intramural team's ultimate frisbee matches. Eventually, the pair began meeting up away from the frisbee field to debate the value of each other's military branch, politics, and other academic topics. Though the two did not officially become a couple until Zach was no longer in the same unit as Montana, they did go on a few walks to get ice cream out in downtown Annapolis, and during finals week they even went out for a date in Baltimore to see the Christmas Lights. The next three and a half years are a blur of flights back and forth across country to steal away a few precious moments together as a couple. The two learned how to communicate, watch TV, and cook together while separated by time zones and hundreds of miles. Through it all, their love for each other only grew stronger, each hurdle and challenge to overcome.

One weekend before the holidays, Montana and Zach made plans to go see the Christmas Lights in Baltimore (as part of Zach's ingenious efforts to recreate their first date) with Montana's sister, Summerleigh, and her boyfriend. After perusing through the lights and enjoying a nice dinner, the group returned to Summerleigh's home in Baltimore to exchange gifts. When all the presents had been unwrapped, Zach announced that there was one last thing for Montana. With that he got down on one knee and asked Montana to marry him and she said "Yes!"