We met on Davidson College's 10 day backcountry backpacking, white-water canoeing, and community service orientation trip. One of the first nights on the Appalachian Trail as rain pattered on the tarp above our heads and frogs croaked nearby, we lay next to each other whispering and laughing into the wee hours of the night. To this day, our friends remember that night and say it was then that the universe knew we were meant to be.

As freshman year started, we quickly became great friends and even both came in 43rd in the freshman cake race! What are the chances of that?

Early sophomore year, we mutually decided to start dating and are forever grateful for that decision!

Year 1 was filled with Fiji and Rusk formals and lots of time together in the great outdoors!

Year 2, Kathryn studied in Copenhagen while Max studied in Panama in the Fall. Spring semester at Davidson was cut short by COVID, but we still found ways to spend quality time together.

Max (with Kathryn morally supporting) caught his second muskie up at The Shack!

Kathryn ran her first marathon with Patricia and Mama Abely and Max saved the day with his enthusiastic cheering and gatorade delivery services.

We graduated from Davidson and celebrated with our families before heading off to Beach Week!

Max spent the summer after graduation working as a fishing guide at A Bar A Ranch in Wyoming and Kathryn visited for a long weekend before moving to Nashville to start her Masters Program to become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.

We had many incredible Nashville adventures! From hot chicken the Rock N' Roll 10K, concerts and roomie reunion weekends, hiking Cummings Falls, to visiting Cheekwood and Pirate's Cove and everything in between, Max visited Nashville as much as possible and we even met a few times for camping and stargazing hut adventures in the Smokies.

One of our favorite days: the day we rescued sweet Ranger!

Kathryn passed the NCLEX and we took Ranger on his first hike, Beacon Heights. Little did we know, just a few years later we would be having our first look in this very spot and getting married just minutes away!

We celebrated Christmas early on Cat Island in the Bahamas!

Kathryn graduated as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and we celebrated together in Nashville!

We explored the beauty of St. John, USVI

We soaked in the beauty of Africa with an incredible mobile safari in Botswana and breathtaking Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe

Max got down on one knee in front of Svinafellsjokull Glacier in Iceland while Kathryn was wearing the very same hiking boots we met in over 7 years ago. Perhaps these magical boots will make another appearance on our wedding day.