It all began in 2014, nearly ten years ago when we were still at Madison Southern High School. It was near Halloween and many students, including Jen, were participating in a dress up day. Jen was wearing a very cute outfit of a character from one of her favorite shows. Naturally, Garrison had to compliment her style, to which she replied, "Oh, I never dress up like this."

Fast forward two months and another chance encounter as we both entered the back door of the school. This time, Jen was wearing a suit jacket for a classroom debate, so Garrison did what he does best: antagonize the unexpected. Jen was taken aback by this random guy saying from out of nowhere, "You lied to me!" After a brief angry look, the boy explained, "You said you never dress up!"

A couple of laughs later and a short conversation in the lunchroom and Garrison knew he had to do anything to see this girl one more time. That night, he set out everything just like the morning before in hopes he could recreate the day and get to school at the exact same time as before. Garrison is nothing if not precise, which helped time it up to perfection. Jen showed up at the same time, luckily, though she had no intention to. The two shared another morning cafeteria visit and became hooked on each other. By the afternoon, they were dating.

Most of the spring months, the couple sat in Jen's car after school and talked endlessly. To the point, sometimes, that Jen's mom would call freaking out about where her daughter was. Prom, graduation, and more came and went but the two stayed together.

EKU was the place where Jen and Garrison really grew up and grew closer to one another. The two often studied together in the downstairs level of the Powell Building, getting there early enough to steal a carpool spot and do their homework before they went to class. Keeping each other from losing their minds buried beneath homework and studying, it became clear that being together was the only good thing going for either of them sometimes.

Despite a small breakup, Jen and Garrison remained close and would eventually get back together (for good!). College brought upon a whole host of challenges, whether a loss of a friend or (after a lot of convincing) a much needed gap year. Despite the setbacks, the two always made time for each other. During the gap year, Jen became a barista and so obviously Garrison made that his new spot to get work done.

When Jen came back to school, she was on a new path and off to an entirely different school up in Lexington. For a while, the relationship had to deal with a bit of distance. This didn't deter either one though, as it just became a game of who was visiting who on the weekend. Funny enough, the thing that brought the two closer to one another was the same thing that separated just about everybody else.

2020 came and so did everything with it. Jen moved back down to her parents at the same time as Garrison finished his degree. Social distancing as much as they had to, the couple at least got to see one another every day as opposed to once every week or two.

Eventually, the world started going back to normal (some would say), and that meant Jen was back off to UK. Garrison spent the next couple years trying to make a career out of his hobbies and helping out on the farm while Jen knocked out the last of her years in college.

Finally, Jen got her degree in 2022 and it became only a matter of time until the two found somewhere to live together in Lexington. As planned, the two had jobs, a place to stay, and had finished college. Only one thing was left to do. This was all a matter of time anyway.

On New Year's Eve, in front of both families, Garrison popped the question among the champagne bottles. The rest of the night was spent listening to the stories of how each of their parents met and got married (if you get a chance, ask Jen's dad about his car troubles).

For now, it's all about continuing to learn and grow even closer together.

December 5,2014 --> June 22, 2024