Julia Kate Tiller and Eric Daniel Graves didn’t meet at her older brother’s commencement in 2019, though they each attended (Mr. Graves is Ms. Tiller’s brother’s buddy). They didn’t fall in love at church in the summertime of 2021, though that’s the place they met.
The two grew to become quick pals due to social media. “He used Facebook Messenger to slide into my DMs,” Ms. Tiller mentioned. Around that very same time, Ms. Tiller had moved to Austin in June, simply after graduating faculty, and commenced fostering cats. Her first was Atlas, a two-year-old ringworm-infected cat.
In early October 2021, Ms. Tiller and Mr. Graves would exit with teams of pals. But that modified on the finish of the month. On Halloween evening, per week after a pumpkin carving celebration at Mr. Graves home, he and Ms. Tiller walked round watching the trick-or-treaters, simply the 2 of them, making it “one of our first times hanging out alone,” Ms. Tiller mentioned.
“We both started talking about deeper ideas, like our goals in life and what we want to accomplish,” Ms. Tiller mentioned. “We found we had very similar outlooks and values.”
In November, the 2 started taking walks collectively and grabbing espresso throughout the day as they each labored from home. “We were just getting to know each other one-on-one,” Ms. Tiller mentioned. “We didn’t really have a first date.”
By Nov. 18, the 2 had been a pair. “Eric invited me over to watch James Bond’s ‘Casino Royale’ since I had never seen it,” Ms. Tiller mentioned. “Afterward, he told me he liked me and wanted to date. I said I’d like that.”
On April 7, 2023, Mr. Graves moved into Ms. Tiller’s condo when his lease expired, and the next month, when her lease ended, the 2 acquired an condo collectively in North Austin, the place they nonetheless reside.
Through all of it, there have been many foster cats. “All of our fosters have feline leukemia virus, so a single-cat home is best for them,” Mr. Graves mentioned. “We get to foster the sad cats.”
Six weeks or so earlier than the 2 started courting, Atlas was adopted by one other family. Ms. Tiller then took in Edgar Allen Potato.
It was this feline named after a well-known macabre author and poet that finally introduced them nearer collectively. When the orange cat wanted a cone round his head following surgical procedure, Ms. Tiller referred to as on Mr. Graves. “I learned early on we made a great team,” she mentioned.
Even although Mr. Graves has lengthy been a self-proclaimed canine person, “I appreciated that he was so down to help me,” Ms. Tiller mentioned. Edgar Allen Potato was adopted by one other household a couple of weeks into their relationship. But they weren’t and not using a foster cat for lengthy.
Mr. Graves mentioned, “Julia and I saw Meowzel Tov, a three-year-old Creamsicle-colored cat, on the foster list and couldn’t pass him up.”
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And, after fostering six cats, they lastly made the seventh one their very own — a brown tabby they named Hazel. But even with the adoption, the 2 proceed to foster different cats.
Ms. Tiller, 24, is a knowledge analyst for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. She holds a bachelor’s with honors in physics from Texas A&M University. She grew up in Highland Village, Texas, and was a ballet dancer for 18 years. “I decided ballet was a passion for me but not a career,” she mentioned.
Mr. Graves, 28, is a software program engineer at Neosem Technology, the place he designs software program for reminiscence take a look at gear. He holds a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas.
After getting engaged on July 2, 2023, the couple had been married on Jan. 6 by Reverend Elizabeth Boone McLean, a Presbyterian pastor, at First Presbyterian Church in Austin. During their first look, “He gave me a small rock from the church courtyard,” Ms. Tiller mentioned. “This is what penguins do when they ask to couple up for life.”
They sat for a lot of the ceremony as Mr. Graves has been coping with continual dizziness for about one yr. “I’m medically fine. But I get dizzy standing,” he mentioned. “So, the pastor grabbed chairs. It felt very intimate to us.” Mr. Graves made gentle of his situation in his vows. “Julia, you take my breath away,” he mentioned. “You make my legs weak.”
