Avery and Catie met at the grande old time in life that is the second grade. Catie's first memory of Avery is choking on a peppermint and banning Lusher students from having hard peppermints for the foreseeable future, and Avery's first memory of Catie is her asking if he was okay after he may or may not have needed the Heimlich. They "dated" off and on in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade (hard times). Catie once got her phone taken away because she called Avery in the middle of the school day to wish him good luck in his debate tournament. Avery remembers Catie breaking up with him because he didn't get her a birthday present after they had been dating for 24 hours. Needless to say, these early memories were not true romance, and it was not until they both went to Franklin for high school that Avery asked Catie out in the PJs parking lot junior year that their best friendship moved to dating (thank you Maple Street PJs). For some reason, they decided to take a stab at long distance when Catie went to Vanderbilt and Avery went to UGA for college. Avery took a Greyhound bus to Vandy freshmen year to visit Catie, and Catie befriended the Atlanta people she met in school to catch rides to Athens to visit Avery. Catie would like the record to reflect that the first Vandy/Georgia game she attended freshmen year, Vandy beat Georgia and it must live in history forever. Long distance was tough but they persevered until they graduated in 2020. From there, Avery and Catie have travelled to London, Honolulu, NYC, Chicago, Connecticut, Dallas, and kept their home base in New Orleans where they continue to Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, and religiously attend every Saints home game that they can. Avery proposed in June of 2023 at their favorite date night spot (The Chloe) on Saint Charles with their families and closest friends surprising Catie afterwards. They are so excited to celebrate with everyone they love in 2024 and for everything the future holds!