Spencer and Ella have been in each others lives since kindergarten. Their story begins in the second grade. At this time, Owen (Ella’s brother) and Spencer were very close friends and their main hangout spot after school was the Johnsons residence. Ella, however, did not like being left at the house alone so she joined her brother and Spencer. This lasted through third grade until Ella and Owen left for a year to live with their mom. Highlighted memories of this time were playing superheroes in the front yard, racing Lego cars, and eating fresh chocolate chip cookies almost every day.

Before they knew it, Spencer and Ella were seventh graders sharing the same hallways, the same classes, and—most memorably—social studies. One assignment asked them to create a movie trailer about the settlers moving west across the United States. They teamed up, not knowing that this simple school project would become something far more meaningful.

As they filmed scenes and pieced together their trailer, Ella began to feel something unexpected. Somewhere between the outtakes and the laughter, she realized she had butterflies. That video still holds a special place in her heart—not just for the grade they earned, but for the moment she first saw Spencer in a different light.