Derek was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama and is the only child of Glenn and Petra Parker. Derek attended Trinity Presbyterian in Montgomery and graduated in 2007. After graduation he attended Auburn University at Montgomery for two years, then graduated from Auburn University (War Eagle!) in December of 2012 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. When he isn't at work or running his own side business (he's been mowing lawns since he ws 12!) Derek enjoys anything on the water: jet skis, boating, fishing, and skiing. If you ask Kalyn, she'll say her favorite date he took her on was the infamous "jet ski date," where the jet ski blew up as they were cruising down the river! Derek also enjoys mechanic-ing on toys around his house: he has built a jet-jon boat completely from scratch and enjoys scaring the you-know-what out of Kalyn when they take it out on the rapids.
I (Kalyn) am the only daughter of Byron and Tricia Vaughan and was born in Austin, Texas, but moved "home" to Atmore, Alabama when I was 14 - where I attended and graduated from Northview High School in 2008. I graduated with a Practical Nursing degree in 2012 and later earned my Registered Nursing degree in 2014. I am currently working as a Unit Manager at a Health and Rehab facility in down town Montgomery. I have one little brother, who, though he can be a pain in the hiney, I love him very much. When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with Derek on the water. While he is doing his thing, I usually have my nose stuck in a good book while working on my sun tan. In addition, I enjoy blogging and pretending I am good at arts and crafts.
We met in Auburn through mutual friends, the night before the big Alpha Psi Annual Rodeo. I was headed to Derek's house with a few friends, telling them all the while that I would need a quiet room and an internet connection because I had a paper that was due by midnight (in case you can't tell, I was an excellent multitasker). Graciously, Derek let me use his room for some peace and quiet, although I'm sure he thought I was a big nerd for bringing my homework to a party!
We were friends for several years before Derek finally plucked up the courage to ask me out. We have been dating since April (my birthday!) of 2012 and we got engaged on August 10th 2014. You can read how our engagement happened HERE!
