Our love story began at Publix, where we worked together for a whole year without saying much to each other. Fate stepped in one day when he asked me to cover a shift for him. I agreed, but later realized I couldn’t. He got my number from our coworker, Alyssa, to sort it out — and that simple text turned into a conversation that never really ended.

As we got to know each other, I left for my freshman year at Tennessee Tech, but distance didn’t slow us down. We spent weekends together and officially started dating on November 5, 2021. Over the next year, we made unforgettable memories, like camping with friends and visiting Helen, Georgia in the winter. Wanting to be closer, I transferred to Maryville College, and soon after, he did too. We were back to working at the same store, but this time, as a couple.

By spring of 2024, I embarked on a 5-month study abroad in Izmir, Turkey. After reuniting, we visited Munich, Germany, where he proposed at the beautiful Nymphenburg Palace. In true "me" fashion, I didn’t wait for him to put the ring on — I took it from the box and did it myself! From there, we set off on a whirlwind adventure, visiting Turkey, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and the Dominican Republic, before returning to the U.S. for more summer fun, including a boat trip to Alabama and a family reunion in Arkansas.

One of our favorite stories to tell is about the time we made a "marriage pact" during a slow shift at Publix. While sweeping the floor, we both joked that if we weren’t married by 30, we’d marry each other. Fast forward just three years later, and here we are — getting married at 22 and 23.

We love camping, hiking, traveling, and playing games (though every Mario Party match is a battle of wills). He got me hooked on the entire MCU, and together, we laugh at jokes that are far from appropriate but perfectly "us." We can’t wait to keep building a life full of love, adventure, and maybe just a little healthy competition. ❤️

In the beginning, Gabby and I were simply just coworkers who enjoyed working together. I had gotten her number from a friend at work as she was supposed to cover my shift for me since I would be going on vacation. Funny enough, the day Gabby said she would cover, she was actually working and was unable to take my shift for me, but I was determined to get Gabby to keep texting me. So, I began asking her a ton of questions and making jokes for weeks and months in an effort for her to like me. Around five months later, I finally caught on that Gabby might've actually liked me back and I decided to ask her to go out with me, to which she said, "Yes, but you have to ask me in person" and thus we planned a weekend for me to drive to her college at Tennessee Tech. On November fifth, we officially became a couple and our journey together in life had begun.

The next major milestone in our relationship was our first Christmas together in 2021. It was a nice chilly morning and we had both spent the morning with our family and had planned to meet up afterwards at a park to share the gifts we had gotten for each other.

That February, we celebrated Valentines day for the first time together and it was a very big moment in our relationship. It was the first time we said we loved each other. Gabby went all out and prepared a huge surprise for me and got me a bunch of my favorite snacks and made a delicious dinner for us. It was truly a special day for both of us and I won't forget it.

The next major moment in our relationship was our anniversary where we decided to go to the aquarium and spend the day in Gatlinburg. We had a great time in the aquarium seeing all of the aquatic animals and then going to eat at Ole Red where we listed to live music and eventually went to browse through the shops in the area.

Through the days, weeks, months, and years we made memories, learned more about each other, grew closer as a couple, and became completely inseparable. Through all of the ups and downs, the good and the bad, it was becoming very clear to me that I couldn't live without Gabby and that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, and hopefully vice-versa, so I began to plan to make the next big step in our story.

June of 2024, Gabby had been in Turkey studying abroad, all the while I was planning on how to propose and setting everything up to make sure that everything would go exactly as planned. I asked Gabby's father for his blessing while walking their dog Oscar, and he jokingly said, "You know she's crazy right?". To which I said "Yeah, but she's my kind of crazy", and from there he was my accomplice in getting this proposal to go as smoothly as possible. June 13th, we had been in Germany touring the city and sightseeing, enjoying authentic food and having a great time. Towards the end of the day we made our way to our last stop at the beautiful Nymphenburg Palace, we were all blown away with how meticulously detailed and beautiful the palace was. All the while I was getting more and more anxious as the time drew nearer to the planned big moment. Eventually Gabby's father and I had to resort to stalling by walking to the other sites on the property to view, but eventually the time was right and I had gotten Gabby into the designated spot where I planned to propose and acted like we needed to get a picture of us with the palace in the background. I dropped to one knee, said my speech and then asked the big question. . .

And the rest is history, we are now planning our wedding and preparing to face the future together as husband and wife against all odds and challenges. Gabriella Joy Kooima, I can't wait to be married to you and live out our dreams together, you are the love of my life and the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I will love and cherish you with all my heart and soul for as long as we live and even through death. Thank you for all you are and everything you do, I love you.