Oh boy...this is a fun one. (Editor's note! I wrote this story in typical Kiara-style..i.e meandering, superfluous, run-on-sentences.... and Ethan made final edits in his equally emphatic yet reserved and steady way of speaking)

Long story short, we went to the same high school, had some mutual friends, and thus were friendly acquaintances for years. If you know, you know...

But this particular part of the story really all started when Ethan messaged me on Facebook about some photos I'd shared from my study abroad program in Spain. In truth, he had been liking and commenting on my posts here and there for pretty much the entire trip. No, not creepy at all... and I was thinking, "Wow this guy is either a.) genuinely interested in my travels or b.) just really really bored.

When I got back, he asked me to lunch "so I could tell him about my trip". We went to Jersey Mike's because I said I was craving "American Food"... and probably also because he had a gift card. Things typically would've ended there, but then I found out he had a pool at the time. Thinking that I could mooch off of that while the summer was still ripe, and because I didn't have much else going on, I started inviting myself over to relax and get a tan.

For the rest of the Summer, we passed the time talking about our current love lives (or lack thereof) or bad dates we had been on, and hanging out with his roommates. But by the end of that Summer, we were pretty much inseparable.

Attempting to date that first year was pretty rocky;

Between Ethan at Wright State finishing his Education degree and me at UD juggling a full class load , two jobs, and planning my next big adventure - by the end of the school year, we decided to cool things off and spend most of the Summer apart. Ethan got a job at a kid's camp in Michigan and I remained here taking classes and working. The following Fall, as both of us entered the final stretch of our bachelors degrees, we quickly realized that we could not be without one another.

Ever since, we've been truly inseparable... which at the time made things very inconvenient due to us being forced to share a twin bed in a Wright State dormitory every night (don't worry, we have a king now).

Almost a decade later, two apartments, one house, two dogs, two cats, countless adventures, ups and downs - we're officially tying the knot. But I think we can both say we've known for years that we were each other's "soul mate".

We doubt anyone has actually made it this far, but if you have, please know that we both genuinely appreciate you all for being willing to be here in Dayton for our Wedding!

Honestly, our initial plan was to get married in Vegas, but with the incredible amount of family and friends we are so lucky to have, we would feel guilty if we didn't give everyone we love at least one rock-solid opportunity to make fun of us.

We love you all,

Kiara and Ethan