Despite growing up less than ten miles apart, it took an international trip to bring us together. We both played soccer at Blue Mountain High School, where the boys' and girls' soccer teams traveled to England every other year. We went from strangers to friends on that trip. Over the next few months, we became best friends. Then Jake finally worked up the courage to ask Paige out.

That relationship has survived us attending separate colleges, Jake taking (then leaving) a stressful job, Paige going to grad school, going on PA school rotations all over the state during a pandemic, moving in together and last but not least, becoming parents to little Toast.

Although that England trip feels like it was just a few months ago, it's been a decade. So that felt like a long enough vetting process for Jake to finally pop the question.

We're working on putting together our dream wedding, and we can't wait to spend our special day with all the amazing people in our lives. After all, it's about time.