It all started in 7th grade when I met Brian. I was immediately drawn to him because of his bright red hair and cute little freckles. I took every chance I got to sit next to him and talk to him but he was a shy 12 year old boy so it took a while before he warmed up to me. A few months into 7th grade, I became part of his friend group and we would hang out at lunch everyday. He made me laugh so much and I just loved being around him.

In 8th grade, we would spend hours Skyping each other after school and flirting online. We would always say we would hug the next time we saw each other in person but we were always too shy. On Fridays, I would walk Brian home from school but as soon as we got close to his house I had to leave so his mom wouldn't see him with a girl haha. Our little walks became our little dates; we would get ice cream or burgers and just chat forever.

One day when my best friend was Skyping with Brian he told her that he wanted to marry me. He had it all planned out; he wanted to get the ring from Kay and propose with the ring in a fortune cookie. I remember when she told me about it I seriously contemplated if I wanted to marry Brian and I thought, "Yeah, I'd marry Brian." Despite us crushing on one another, we stayed friends since we were so young.

In High School, Brian and I both decided the summer before our Senior Year that we were interested in dating each other. After several movie nights, dinner dates, and hang outs, I informed Brian he was now my boyfriend. We were inseparable from that moment on. We had our first kiss at a drive in and we said "I love you" for the first time a week before we graduated. We planned our lives together and both dreamed of getting married one day. We wanted to go to college close together but Brian got into and chose UCSB and I got into and chose Biola (2 hours apart).

Unfortunately, college was a very difficult time for Brian and I. Brian’s dad passed away from lung cancer on June 21st 2016. Shortly after, Brian’s brother, Samuel Piibe, passed away on September 8th 2016. It was hard to process and handle the grief but Brian was extremely strong. The same year both my roommates were suicidal so that was a hard living situation and was emotionally tasking. It was a difficult year for both of us in different ways and although the hard times brought us together, I was really struggling to stay afloat. We decided to break up the summer after our freshman year of college with the hope to get back together after college. We were only able to go a few months without talking and stayed friends throughout college.

We were able to fully reconnect when we both studied abroad in Europe and my friend planned a trip with both of us to the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. During that trip I was feeling sick the last night in Paris and Brian took care of me and kissed me on the forehead. It was such a tender moment and reminder of Brian’s consistent love for me. After that trip, I flew out the next weekend to see him in Sweden and a few weeks later he visited me in England. It was hard for us to not be together. Every time we would come back together, we were able to pick up right where we left off.

After college Brian and I were having a lot of conversations about getting back together and what that would look like for us. We were finally in the same city again but it was right at the start of Covid. We were hanging out almost everyday so one day Brian asked me to be his girlfriend again and I said yes. We were finally back together and happier than ever. Every day with him has been absolute bliss and I’m so grateful that every road led me back to him. It’s so fun being with someone who has been there for most of my life and I am so grateful to spend the rest of my life with him.

Brian proposed on March 4th, 2023 in Laguna Beach at sunset. He perfectly planned the whole day although I was a little suspicious when he was the one making dinner plans with my parents. We had a chill morning of thrifting and In-n Out for lunch. He offered to take me to a coffee shop before the beach but I didn’t want to risk having a green matcha mouth in case I got engaged. We walked around the beach with my sister and right before sunset Sara said she had a look out point she wanted to show me. We went to Crescent Bay Point Park and there I saw a picnic with rose petals leading up to it. Brian nervously walked me down and told me he loved me and couldn’t imagine his life with anyone else. He got on one knee and asked me to marry him and I said YES! He had my favorite flowers, peonies, flown in from Alaska for me, he made chocolate covered strawberries, and had champagne for us to make mimosas with. Inside the picnic basket he had a fortune cookie that said “Will you Marry Me?” A reference to the way he wanted to propose to me in the 8th grade. Afterward, we went to dinner with all my closest friends and both our families. It was an absolutely perfect and unforgettable night.