Richy and Carly both started school at Colgate University in the fall of 2014. Richy lived in a dorm called "West Stillman" where, coincidentally, all of Carly's new-found friends also lived. Since Carly spent all of her free time over in West Stillman, they became great friends with each other, and all the other "stillies" who also resided there. After being apart for a whole summer, they couldn't wait to see each other when they got back to school. The first week of sophomore year, Richy asked Carly to be his girlfriend.

After spending three years at school together, Richy and Carly tried their turn at long-distance dating. Carly got a job in marketing at Stryker, and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. Richy went into higher education admissions, and worked as a recruiter at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. They lived about 4 hours from each other, and 1-2 times a month they would make the long drive to spend the weekend with each other. What they say is true... absence makes the heart grow fonder! After two long years, Richy decided to make the move up to Kalamazoo, Michigan, and he and Carly got their first apartment together.

Carly and Richy lived in downtown Kalamazoo for over two years on "the Mall," a fun walking street that offers restaurants, local shops, and, once a month in the summer, a farmers market! Although the first half of their time here was COVID, they still loved it. Richy and Carly learned how to live as a unit, got their first pet together (Phil the bunny), and settled into their community in Kalamazoo. They cherish the moments they had here. In fact, it was on the roof of this very apartment building, overlooking downtown Kalamazoo, that Richy asked Carly to marry him in March of 2023.

After their time in downtown Kalamazoo, life came at Richy and Carly FAST. In February of 2022, when trying to figure out whether they were going to stay in their apartment when their lease came up in June, they had brunch with some good friends (shout out K+D), who mentioned they were building a house in a new development. In what is, undoubtedly, the most rash decision of either of their lives, Carly and Richy signed a contract to build their own house four doors down in the same neighborhood and moved in later that year. From there, in the span of sixth months, Carly and Richy adjusted to being new homeowners, welcomed their dog Tilly to the family, got engaged, and Richy made a career change over to Stryker. Needless to say, the last year has been hectic, yet filled with abundant joy!

We are so happy to have you be a part of our journey and celebrate the next step in our lives with us. If you are reading this, you have made an impact on our lives that has shaped us into the people and couple we are today. Thank you for your endless love and support, and we cannot wait to see what comes next!