Our love story began, as so many others do, in high school. It was fairly stereotypical, to be frank. There were butterfly inducing encounters in the hallway as we raced to beat the tardy bell, endless moments carefully crafting reasons to speak with one another despite not actually needing to, and numerous opinions from everyone in the school about our relationship. We spent afternoons riding the school bus together, kissed under the Friday Night Lights, and even carpooled to graduation. The twist in all of this, of course, is that we actually met as thirty-somethings working at Richland High School, not attending it.

That does not mean, however, that the two of us are not high school sweethearts. As teachers and coaches at the same school, it did not take long to notice each other. Liz would needlessly inquire about a track season still months away while Tom would sneak into the gym during basketball games to see Liz working the scorer’s table--all under the guise of recruiting basketball players for the track team, of course.

Luckily for the two of us, the students were not the only ones to take an interest in pushing us together. At the encouragement of her fellow coaches, Liz worked up the courage to take a seat next to Tom and strike up a conversation. From a love of Dallas’ skyline to a general distaste for craft-style beer, conversation came easily, a partnership was formed, and we set about making memories from mixing homemade cocktails to rippin’ lips, from pedicures to Lake Picachos, from the Rocky Mountains all the way to Maine. It has been a heck of a start to our adventure and we’re so thankful that you are a part of it!