Brandon and I met volunteering with the State Parks & Preservation Alternative Breaks program at CMU back in March of 2017. After a week together calling ourselves "mom" and "dad", we knew we had a much deeper bond than just a site leader (me) and participant (him). We had our first kiss at the top of a mountain in the Shenandoah Valley and made it official on the ride home from Surry, VA. It felt like a fairy tale.

Fast forward to 2022, living in Chicago and discovering we were expecting a baby. Everything changed and it was no longer just the two of us (and of course our cat and dog). October 1, 2022, we were on a vacation in Marquette, MI exploring Pictured Rocks when Brandon got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!!

Now the year is 2023 and we have our beautiful family (Buji, Beau, and our amazing 1 year old Barrett) in our 100 year old house, taking life one day at a time. Life has not always been easy or fair, but the one thing that is constant has been each other. Every time life has tried to tear us apart, we always find comfort in the other person. We are thrilled to be celebrating our story and getting married in true Brangela fashion, traveling the world together.