Cat and Billy's story starts in 2015.

On February 14, 2015, Cat was at the University of Kentucky for an official visit to be on the UK Rifle Team. Billy was already a member of the team, a year ahead of Cat's class. Over that two day period, Cat and Billy hit it off like two peas in a pod. Granted, their fast friendship was helped by the fact that on the night the girls were supposed to do a "spa night", Billy and another team member, Andrew, came over and hijacked it by doing all of the spa things themselves. The girls never did any of the spa things. Cat ended up painting Billy's toes and having the best laughs with the team. By the time came to leave, Cat's heart was sold on Kentucky being her second home and she returned to Alaska talking about the "big, loud Italian guy" that was her friend.

Fast forward to Cat's freshman year on the team that next fall, she and Billy were very good friends. Sharing music tastes, humor, and life advice. Plus, a heavy dose of love for meatballs. They were in their own relationships with other people at the time, but that didn't stop them being friends. Never in a million years did either of them think that their friendship would turn into more.

Soon enough, in 2017, they both found themselves ending their respective relationships and after a little bit of time and a nurses cart being taken out by Billy in an E.R., they found they were looking at each other in a new light.

On February 5, 2017, they went on their first date and just two weeks later, they said, "I love you" and knew what was between them was a long-term thing. In the next few years, they were part of the team winning the 2018 NCAA Rifle Championships, they both graduated and found good jobs, and life was moving forward.

They always spoke about the future, knowing that when the right time came that marriage was on the table and all of the great things that come after. In fact, in Billy's eyes, he had three things on the list he wanted to accomplish:

1. House

2. Truck

3. Ring

So, in 2021, they bought their first home in Kentucky. And a few short months later, Billy bought a truck from a very close friend. There's two things done... what about the third?

Billy and Cat went through a lot of growth over the next couple of years. They both switched jobs, with Cat being the Assistant Coach of the UK Rifle team and Billy an Industrial Engineer at Hyster-Yale. Then, the last Monday morning of March in 2023, Billy woke up and said, "It's time."

Now, keep in mind that Billy had previously planned "proposal type instances" MANY times throughout the past couple of years. Much at the chagrin of Cat who was thoroughly anticipating a proposal - patiently, of course - but confused as well as to when it might happen. On Friday, March 31, Billy asked Cat if they could go on one of their favorite hikes, a sunrise hike at the Pinnacles of Berea. This was one of the first times Billy had ever asked to go on a hike, so Cat was immediately suspicious. The weather didn't work out great for that Saturday, so they decided to do a sunset hike on that Sunday, April 2.

On April 2, they hiked up the West Pinnacle and along the way spoke about their future aspirations, faith/religion, the things they love, and everything else in between. When they reached the top, they were alone, and Billy went to set up the phone to take their normal summit picture. However, he failed to realize that when the phone takes a picture, that the flash blinks. When he stood back up, the flash wasn't blinking and Cat knew. As he turned to her and started to kneel, Cat jumped, pointed a finger in his face and said, "I F-ING KNEW IT!" And proceeded to scream, hop around and freak out. Once she chilled out long enough for Billy to get a word in, he asked her to marry him and she said, "DUH."

Cat and Billy celebrated seven years together this February 2024 and look forward to marrying in June 2024.

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