How Oldham met Zreliak
How Zac and Tali met ...
Zac and Tali must have met at some point in 2013 at Marist Catholic High School. Zac was the photo editor for their school's student newspaper, and Tali was a writer. However, the likelihood that they had a meaningful conversation is slim to none. Zac graduated the next year and went off to Spokane (Go Zags!). Tali became an editor, spending most of her senior year hanging out in the classroom with Zac's mom, Toni, who taught newspaper and Zoe, the Oldham family dog. They reunited at the 2015 Marist graduation where Zac took a photo of Toni and Tali that Tali took with her to Regis University in Colorado where she hung it proudly on her wall all four years.
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Zac and tali unaware they'll be getting married in 12 years
Zac and zoe having a
staring contest
Tali takes a "Zoe" break on the floor in
toni's classroom
How Zac and Tali met again ...
Fast-forward to 2020, Tali ended up taking a job at Marist. Toni claims she thought Tali and Zac could be a good couple but knew it would probably annoy Zac if she tried to meddle. But by pure chance (or perhaps the magic of Julie Ferrari) Zac and Tali were partnered to help lead a small group on the school's Formation Retreat in 2021.
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The two bonded immediately during the retreat, feeling uniquely at ease around each other from the very start. At the end of the retreat, Zac asked for Tali's number in hopes of getting all of the grads on the retreat together for dinner, to which Tali responded, "No." Luckily, Zac understood she was joking and handed her a pen and paper.
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It was on the bus ride home that Tali realized she might, in fact, have a crush on Zac when she received a text message from an unknown number. "Congratulations! You have been selected for a free bag of m&m's!" When the bus got back to Marist, Zac then snuck a bag of M&M's into Tali's bag and the rest is history.
Zac and Tali's
first text conversation
The first black & white cookies that Zac made for Tali
Tali and Zac's first high school dance (as dj and chaperone)
How Zac propossed ...
Since Zac and Tali met working on a student retreat, Tali suggested he also pop the question on one. In February 2024, while on the Metanoia, a retreat for senior students, Zac snuck Tali a note during lunch on the second day and told her to open it during free time. She then set off on a scavenger hunt around St. Benedict's Lodge, solving riddles to find little love letters that Zac had hidden. The last clue led Tali back to her room where a pack of M&M's was hidden in her bag, just like after the first retreat they went on together, along with a note asking her to meet him by the McKenzie River early the following day. While everyone else was still sleeping, Zac asked Tali to marry him, and she said yes!
He asked and
She said yes!
The ring
(Thank you, Nancy)
Surprising seniors that had been hounding zac about proposing on the retreat