We started dating on November 6th, 2015 (so long ago that one of our first pictures is blurry). As much as two eighth graders could, we connected right away! Those two kids, preparing for their eighth-grade dance, had no idea what this relationship would bring them.

Fast forward a couple of years—we're both 16 and no longer relying on our parents or his sister to drive us around town. High school was filled with dances, football games, and weekends spent hanging out with friends.

We were both preparing to graduate high school. Steph was getting ready to move away for college, while Griffin was preparing to start his Diesel Mechanics program at Hawkeye in Waterloo, IA.

Steph moved back to Waterloo to complete her degree at UNI, and a year later, in 2022, we moved into our first home together! This marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter in our relationship as well as many beautiful country sunsets.

We quickly realized something was missing from our home. We couldn’t resist bringing home our Aussie, River. He has filled our lives with endless love—and our house with far too many toys!

Nine years of so many adventures have led to this very day. Griffin finally popped the question—with a little help from River, of course!