I still remember the first time I saw her—Rebecca. I thought she was a total nerd: awkward and introverted. I wasn’t wrong—but as our friendship grew stronger, those things only made me like her more. We started getting closer through late-night gaming sessions, spontaneous car rides, and grabbing food together.

When Christmas came around—our favorite holiday—I realized that those once-a-week hangouts had quietly turned into something much deeper. I was falling in love.

On January 14th, while waiting for our friends at the mall, we sat at Thomas Hammer sipping coffee, talking more than usual. We began to imagine what it might be like if we dated. We didn’t know how it would work with the distance between us, but something felt right.

We started going on dates once a week—sometimes watching shows, other times going out to our favorite restaurants like Red Robin. We also loved cooking together, and I’ll never forget the first thing we made as a couple: BBQ chicken mac 'n' cheese.

We talked about everything—from our biggest dreams to the tiniest preferences. We discovered we both wanted four kids, had similar timelines for buying a house, shared a love for huckleberry ice cream, and even had the same dream cars. I realized very quickly just how much we had in common.

When we finally moved in together, I came to appreciate her on a whole new level. I got to see her every day—through the highs, the lows, and all the in-between moments that make up real life. We built so many beautiful memories together.

Now, as we prepare to get married, I’m beyond excited to spend the rest of my life with her—growing our family, building our home, and continuing to grow together, side by side.

Back in 2022, both of our final years in High School, we were taking college classes through EWU pursuing a business degree. Ironically enough, the class we had in common was an elective Philosophy class that was online--in theory, we shouldn't have crossed paths. Caleb sent out an email to everyone in the class to start a 'study group.' Although I didn't know it at the time, it was actually just for cheating. It took me a few days to join, partly because I thought he must have been a mad man, but soon after I did Caleb, Cassidy (my Maid of Honor) and I joined a call and took the first test together. It didn't take long before we started playing video games together and making plans to meet in person.

My first impression of Caleb is that he was super smart and a very smooth talker. He didn't mention his other friends or family, so I had assumed he already had someone he was at least interested in, so I didn't consider us dating for quite a while. We were friends for almost a year before I started thinking of him in that way. I found that, although I got Christmas presents for other friends, too, his was the only gift I put a lot of thought into. It was an inside joke--we created a whole backstory of how Bath and Body Works was taking over the world, and the Peach Bellini scent was a metaphor for the world itself and the all-encompassing reach of the company. So, I got him a Peach Bellini candle. You could say a very common, unoriginal gift, but it meant something to us.

This was when we really started showing interest in each other. We hesitated to start dating, though, due to the distance between us. So, for the one-year anniversary of us meeting, we met at a coffee shop to talk. We both decided that there's no harm in trying, especially since the distance wasn't going to last forever.

Throughout our first year together we didn't get to see each other often, usually once a week, for a while once every 2 weeks. It definitely wasn't ideal, but we were dedicated to making time for each other. We'd often introduce each other to the shows we enjoy, cooked together, do our own hobbies in each other's presence. I felt so comfortable with him that I almost said "I love you" after only 3 months. I started to say it, so naturally it was like I'd said it to him a million times, before realizing it was definitely too early. I managed to say, "I... think you're really cool!" or something like that, which made him laugh so hard. Apparently, he knew what I meant, because the very next week (the next time we saw each other in person), he told me he loved me too.

There have been a lot of ups and downs so far, but Caleb has an amazing way of keeping me steady and calm through it all. I know I can always rely on him and can't imagine my life with anyone else. I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with him, driving him crazy, and growing together.