In Mississippi, we were finally able to reunite and date without worrying about slow Internet connections or time zones. While I lived on base for pilot training, Jenn got an apartment in Columbus and began school to become an EMT, and we were finally able to see each other on the weekends and have real, in-person dinner dates. Within three days of arriving in Mississippi, we also made our first major joint purchase by adopting a gentle, shy puppy named Charlie! But as many of you know, Jen’s love for animals cannot be limited to one dog, and over our nearly six years in the South, she personally rescued and rehomed 19 strays! We made lots of friends in Mississippi, and in 2019 I got orders to stay as an instructor, allowing us to put down even deeper roots. We spent almost six months in a rented home in San Antonio while I attended instructor school, and upon returning to Mississippi we decided to upgrade to a house  since Charlie had become spoiled and used to having a backyard. Little did we know that the house came with a bonus: a mean, scrappy 12-year old blue heeler named Mollie that lived in the driveway and terrorized anyone who walked by our new home.  For over a year, every morning, Jenn patiently tossed dozens of McDonald’s breakfast sausage patties to Mollie, gradually earning her trust. Little by little, Jenn bridged the gap, until Mollie, once untouchable, became the incredibly sweet, quiet dog many of you know today. As COVID hit in 2020, we made the best of the situation and spent our free time on road trips, national parks, and all sorts of outdoor adventures. Our two favorite weekend trips were Bear Creek, Alabama - where we would canoe with the dogs- and Hot Springs, Arkansas- our most frequented national park, and the only one where we have hiked every inch of every trail. On one special trip to Hot Springs, as we stood over our favorite mountain vista, I dropped to one knee, pulled a small box from my pocket and proposed. The happiest moment of my life was hearing Jen say “yes.”