i met andy (for the second time) on the 4th of july in 2011. it wasn't love at first sight. though we would become friends by the end of the week, the whole thing was very platonic. at the time, i was still living in utah and he was in texas. we kept in touch by phone, text, and google chat. our conversations were simple from things like football and work, to more complex things like the people we were interested in or dating. we began confiding in each other the way friends do, without the expectation of courtship. he got to know the real me and it didn't take long for him to become one of my close friends.

i'm not going to recount the entire courtship of our love story, many of you have heard it before. but i think our beginning is such a testament to our relationship today. at the core, andy is my best friend. i didn't know right away that andy would be that man i would someday marry, but from the moment he came into my life, the world changed. my life went from good to magnificent. before andy, the sun still shined, but now it's warmer. life was colorful, but now so much brighter + vibrant. the world, more so than ever, feels ripe with opportunity. because of him, life is much more brilliant that i could've ever imagined. 

i love you, andy. thank you for choosing me. happy two year anniversary!