From Chelsea:

“I’ll never forget the first time I laid eyes on Zach Pickett, or more accurately, the way I felt.

While interviewing with the animal shelter I worked at in Lexington, Zach and I met for the first time as he was being led through my department on a tour. After he stopped for a brief hello and to exchange a few pleasantries with me and my coworkers, I remember looking at him and feeling a certain familiarity; the distinct and comforting feeling that I had just been greeted by an old friend. I recall knowing on some level in that instant, so unexplainably, and so deeply in my bones, that even after such a short interaction together - Zach and I were meant to be. It didn't make any logical sense, but I felt relieved. The only thought pulsing through my head after meeting him was the word “Finally.”

Zach left my department as quickly as he came, and as the door shut behind him I knew I had to see him again. “You have to hire him! You have to hire him!” I urged my manager, almost alarmingly so. She laughed a little, “Okay, okay! I’ll see what I can do.”

Luckily for me, Zach had already been hired, and as fate would have it, he chose to accept the open position in my department instead of another offered to him at a satellite location. I was elated. A few days later, he began his first day of work.

Within the first week, Zach and I were already hitting it off. He was funny and so incredibly easy to talk to. Flirting with him came naturally and felt effortless, and when we weren’t together I couldn't wait to see him again. We quickly became friends and started messaging each other outside of work. One day, I gathered all my courage and invited him to hang out. My two dogs and cat immediately took to him even though they were typically weary of new people. I saw this as a good sign. I was excited and hopeful - it seemed as if we had so much to catch up on. I couldn’t stop talking when we were together. I could feel my life changing for the better, slowly but surely, each day I got to know him better.

I loved him already.

I’ve loved him from the very beginning.

It’s true the love I felt then was only a tiny sliver of what was to come - a ray of sunlight peeking over the mountain of grief and loneliness I had been experiencing at the time. And of course, the way I felt then is nothing compared to the way I feel now, after years of experiencing the ups and downs of life together as a team. But it was love, all the same, and it was just as beautiful then as it is now, and will continue to be. Our love is deeper now, strong, but if I close my eyes I can still feel the playful giddiness of our beginning - the feeling of joining hands for the first time to dip our toes into the ocean of possibility.”

From Zach:

“Chelsea and I visited Asheville on a Valentine’s Day getaway in 2017. Within the first hour of being there, we knew we wanted it to be our new home and a year or so later we officially made our decision to move to the mountains. All 5 of us including me, Chelsea, and our 3 pets took a leap of faith but knew that no matter what everything was going to be okay.

The home we moved into in Asheville was more special than what we ever could have imagined, and our relationship grew even more than I thought possible. The memories that were made at our first house we moved in to are some of the best memories of my life. We became increasingly more grateful for the love we have for one another and started realizing just how perfectly we worked together. We went through a lot of self growth and a lot of change. There were obstacles and it wasn’t easy, but we created something really special there. Despite how hard it could be at times being far away from family, not knowing anybody, and figuring everything out on our own, we still laughed and smiled and had a great time. Being surrounded by nature and planting ourselves in the roots of these mountains has felt more like home to me than anywhere else before.

Watching Chelsea grow as a person and transform since moving was so inspirational. Chelsea is one of those rare souls that only a few are lucky enough to be around. I feel so accepted and unashamedly free to just be myself. She has shown me that there are caring people in the world. I knew from the beginning that what we have is special and that it’s the real deal. I’ve known I wanted to marry her for a long time.

When I began to search for an engagement ring I picked a local shop in downtown Asheville with handcrafted jewelry so that it could be one of a kind. I visited whenever I could, at least 4 or 5 times searching for the perfect ring. On my second visit I was able to meet a master jeweler, Stephanie, who had a collection of jewelry inside I was especially interested in. On my last visit she was there too and at this point everyone had started to know me. When I saw Chelsea’s ring I remember Stephanie saying “You have the biggest smile on your face right now!” and I looked up into the mirror to see that she was right. I was so excited and everyone else was too. I knew as soon as I saw the ring it was the one. There wasn’t a second thought in my mind and as soon as I realized I had an uncontrollable smile Stephanie was saying “this is it” which is exactly what I was thinking. I had finally found the perfect ring to propose.

I had planned to ask Chelsea to marry me in a hot air balloon but because of the weather our scheduled flight got delayed to the following spring. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to wait that long so I decided to propose over Christmas with her family there which I knew she would enjoy. I loved seeing her be so surprised and excited. We have so many memories together that I cherish, so much laughter and smiles that I can see clearly. This will always be one of those memories.

After all we have experienced together so far, there is a deeper love that we have for each other, and we truly understand one another without any second thoughts. We never take one another for granted. We listen and communicate with each other. We have gone from being two like-minded people to something more akin to two souls on the same path with the same trajectory in life. I can’t wait to see what the future will bring.”

Registry