Who would have thought that those little 8th graders, so awkward and in 'love', would end up getting married 7 years later. In 7th grade, I absolutely despised Chase for embarrassing me in front of our science class during a presentation. It wasn't until the summer going into 8th grade that Chase finally was able to make a better impression; I mean who wouldn't like a cute muscly boy working as a lifeguard at the pool? As high school came, this little attraction blossomed into a budding friendship and relationship. Despite some emotional obstacles and barriers, Chase and I were able to make it through high school stronger than ever as a couple. Our first year of college was rough since it was our first time actually being apart from each other. We grew up 6 minutes away from each other, so the 2 hour distance from Columbus to Celina took an emotional toll on us. Where some distance causes couples to grow apart, it only made our love grow stronger. It made us truly appreciate each other and really evaluate our relationship. The second year of college wasn't any easier, but we finally made the decision that we knew our lives were leading to...we got engaged!

Many people ask us "at what moment did you know he was the one?" I always respond by saying that there is truly not one deciding moment in our relationship that caused me to think "Yup because of this right here I want to marry him." It was a deeper feeling than that. We have been through so much emotionally that we have been able to bond and grow. Through all the hardships in our relationship there was always this deeper feeling in me that kept me pushing and fighting for our relationship. Chase felt the same as well. We feel that God put us in each other's lives to help us become better human beings and that through our love, we are able to create something greater than ourselves. We can't imagine life without each other, and anticipate the future we will have as a married couple.

Thank you to all those who have supported and loved us along our crazy journey. We truly love and appreciate all of you. Now let's get married!