It's a common story, really. I'm sure you've heard it before a thousand times. The not-so-mild mannered music-librarian-in-training and the gothy religious studies nerd turned IT slave fall madly in love, get married, and then proceed to save the world from a menacing hoarde of zombie ninja robot monkeys from outer space.

Minus that last part, unfortunately. But it might happen, you never know...

We met sometime in 2006. We think. Nobody's quite sure. The history books will remain tragically silent on that score, alas. But the method of our meeting? None other than the ever-popular worldwide phenomenon known as "mutual friends." As we were both dating others at the time, a friendship blossomed which, eventually, became something much more. Other relationships came to an end and somehow, despite the obstacles, we managed to fumble and stumble our way towards love. When a job opening threatened to lure Abbey away to the great frozen north (also known as Minnesota), Nick packed up his bags to come along for the ride. With a big ol' moving truck and a car full of cranky kitties, we made our way north and haven't looked back.

On September 12, 2009, Nick got down on one knee in an honest-to-goodness rose garden to pop the question, a stunning sapphire ring in his hand. 9 months to the day later, we'll be saying our vows in a chapel only a stone's throw away from that very spot.