The Journey to NOW

• Met at Turner Field, Braves vs Phillies, August 16, 2009
• In Sept 2009, Heath invited Lissa to Atlanta for a Kings of Leon concert at Phillips Arena which was their offical FIRST DATE.
  
• Fall 2009, Heath and Lissa visited each other often while she was living in Tupelo, MS
• December 2009, Lissa was moving back to WI to finish her last clinical.  They didn't end things but neither expected it to continue.  They left things with the knowledge that Heath wanted to come visit her in Milwaukee so they would remain exclusive until then.
• In February 2010, Heath came to Milwaukee with his married friends Chubby and Lawra.  Lissa introduced Heath to some of her best friends, Tina, Ali and Heather.  Lissa wasn't too sure about Heath and explained to him that they probably shouldn't bother trying to continue this long-distance thing.  But once Lissa realized how upset this made Heath, it made her realize that maybe this thing was more serious than she was thinking and that she really did have true feelings for him.
• They continued talking and Heath made another trip back to Milwaukee in March 2010, this time to meet the rest of her family.  We all dined at Karl Ratzch's restaurant where we were seated at a table next to Bart Starr.  The Wieds were thrilled because of his Packer's history but Heath was thrilled because of his Alabama history.
• In April 2010, Lissa spent 2 weeks visiting Heath where she had an interview with Pinnacle Orthopedics for a job as a physical therapist.  They also spent a stormy night in Alabama where she saw Heath's childhood home, went off-roading in a thunderstorm and spent a sunny day people watching at Talladega Motor Speedway.  It was the time of her life and this was the first time they exchanged those 3 special words.  While still visiting in GA, Lissa was offered the PT position and Heath took her around different parts of downtown Atlanta, trying to woo her into accepting the job and moving there.
  
• In May 2010, Lissa graduated from the University of WI-Milwaukee with her Docterate of Physical Therapy.  Lissa's grandma Shirley was able to attend her pinning ceremony despite her ailing health that summer.  Heath was unable to attend her graduation but came back to Wisconsin at the end of May to be her date to Becky and Dave Frisby's wedding.  Heath got to see where Lissa attended undergraduate college in La Crosse, WI.  Heath also got to meet Lissa's grandma Shirley and aunts and uncles in the hospital room just before grandma was about to be taken for open heart surgery (she ended up not having the surgery).
  
• In July 2010, Heath and his father drove up to WI in order to trailor all of Lissa's belongings back to Georgia since she had accepted that job.  Her mother helped her drive her car as they caravanned their way down south to her new home.  Heath's Aunt Wanda let Lissa graciously move in with her and Heath where Lissa thought it would be a temporary stay until she could make some money and find her own place.  Turns out Heath and Lissa were better together than they imagined and with the great place to stay at Wanda's, she never left.
• On April 27, 2011, the day and night was littered with terrible weather and multiple tornados throughout the South.  Frighteningly, a large tornado hit Heath's dad's home while the entire family was safely huddled in the basement.  First thing the next morning, Heath, Wanda, Wanda's son, Zach, Lissa, our friends Brady and James all loaded up our vehicles with supplies and made our way over to AL to assist with the clean-up anyway we could.  There was devastating loss throughout their property and the surrounding area.  There was so much shared hurt that day but also so much support and love that it really made Lissa feel apart of this family.
  
  
• In February 2012, Heath and Lissa finally got their own apartment so that Wanda could prepare her home for selling.  They moved into an okay place that was much closer to work and worked on saving for a down payment on a home or a wedding, whichever came first :)
• On March 7, 2012, Lissa lost her Grandma Shirley which was the toughest loss she had personally experienced.  Heath understood her loss as he too was very close to his maw-maw whom he had lost years before.
• In Sept 2012, Heath's dad and step-mother Rita were able to move into their new Adobe style home, that was built brick-by-brick by family and friends with so much love, sweat and perseverance.
  
• On October 27, 2012, Heath and Lissa went to the Alabama Homecoming football game against Mississippi State.  It was a rainy and unexpectedly cold day so when Heath told Lissa to close my eyes because he had a present for her, she figured it was the Alabama coat she had her eye on the day before.  But when she opened her eyes he was presenting her with an Alabama style KAVU purse with an open ring box on it.  She was totally shocked and could not believe this was happening!!  They called as many family and friends that they could before their cell phone batteries died.  The Tide Rolled that game but Lissa was too busy staring at her new ring to notice too much of the game.
  
   
• On May 3, 2013 Heath and Lissa were married in a small room off of the piano bar at Sandals Negril Resort in Negril, Jamaica.  It stormed the entire day which forced their wedding off of the beach at sunset but just as their wedding license was signed the setting sun began to peak through the clouds.  They were able to capture many beautiful pictures followed by an amazingly fun reception.  They spent their honeymoon UN-traditionally with some of their remaining family and friends at the same resort.
  
• In July 2013, they had a picnic style wedding reception in Waukesha, WI for all of Lissa's family and friends that weren't able to join them in Jamaica.
  
• In August 2013, we decided to start looking for a home and by Aug 31, 2013 we were in the lawyer's office signing all the documents to become homeowners for the first time.  They have purchased a beautiful home in Acworth, GA with plenty of space for friends and family to come visit them.
  
• In September 2013, Lissa's sister Jenny announced that her boyfriend Aaron has purposed to her.  Heath and Lissa were beyond ecstatic as they have known for a long time that the two are the perfect fit for each other and that Aaron makes her very happy.  One week later, Lissa was in WI to run a 1/2 marathon with her sisters and cousins, when Jenny and Aaron announced that they were expecting and we were becoming an Aunt and Uncle!!  We cannot wait for the arrival of baby boy Bollwahn in April 2014, followed by their marriage on Aug 23, 2014.
• In November 2013, Lissa's parents came to visit them in GA to see their new home.  Heath and Lissa hosted their first Thanksgiving dinner with close friends and family, where a tasty turkey was fried and a heartbreaking Iron Bowl was lost by Alabama.