It was sophomore year at Olympia High. As a twin, I was very involved in my brother’s extra curricular activities… aka his little league team. Little did I know this year he had a dorky volunteer coach. This dorky coach made an effort to try to date me, but I was not interested. He drew me pictures, Skyped with me, even tried to take me on a date to Publix. The dorky coach was Joe..

Time goes by, we both go to college (mine out of state), live different lives, but still keeping in touch here and there. Leave it to my brother to keep telling Joe, “Lindsey is going to be back home soon! Date her!”. After 7 years of my brother telling Joe that I was going to be back, I finally decided to move home.

A night in the summer month of July 2021, my brother told me we were going to Crooked Can to meet with Joe and some friends. We showed up that night, apparently Joe had no idea I was coming. Joe even told Jif, “oh shoot that’s Lindsey”. After several years of waiting for me to come home, I was there. But that once dorky coach wasn’t so dorky anymore in my eyes. We hit it off immediately like no time had past in between. And the rest is history! I did ghost him about three times early on in our relationship LOL- My independent self was just scared to let someone else into my life, but I couldn’t be more happy that I did and that it was my dorky, loving, cute fiancé.

Everyone remembers having to run around during your senior year trying to get community service hours so you could graduate, right? Well, I decided I was going to help coach a little league team. What is easier than being on the baseball field as a senior? Nothing. So, I'm not going to lie, our team was STACKED. But I digress. I started to notice one of our player’s had a sister who was always showing up to practice. And she was super cute. Like that kind of cute that makes you look twice because you're like, nah did I see that right? It just so happened that the player's sister was Lindsey. I flirted around with her a bunch and her little brother Scotty seemed to quickly catch on quickly what I was doing, but to my surprise, at the time, Scotty was all about it. I asked her out a couple of times, but she wanted 0 things to do with me outside of being Scotty's coach. To say crash and burn would be an understatement.

At the end of the season we both ended up going our separate ways . Mind you our coaching prowess won us the league and yet, Lindsey was no more interested in going out with me. I went away to FAU for college and every so often would see Lindsey posts on social media and would reach out to see how she was and just kind of stay in touch.

After I got back from school and started at the police department, wouldn't you believe it I started running into Scotty it seemed every other week. Every time Scotty would tell me that Lindsey was coming back to Florida, and we should get together. Every time I'd be like "suuurrreeee" remembering how the first time went. Instead, I'd change the topic over to me and Scotty grabbing a beer and catching up.

One day I was at Crooked Can with a bunch of friends celebrating a friend's birthday. While I was there Scotty texted me asking what I was up to. I told him where I was and that this was his chance to get that drink we always talked about. Maybe 20 minutes later I see his car pull through the parking lot and not 2 minutes after that I see that cute girl from the baseball field walking with him. I turned to my buddy Jif and was like, "Bro that's Lindsey" knowing full well he had 0 idea who I was talking about.

Lindsey and I started catching up and I immediately realized I needed to try to take this girl out - this is where the real fun starts. We went out to dinner after she gave me a little run around. And we had an awesome time. 3 days later she ghosts me.... I was like, what in the hell is going on here? Then some time went by, I managed to get her back on the phone. Lindsey and I meet up and plan to get together again. When we did I made a joke about her ghosting me after 72 hours. I helped her hang some market lights in her apartment a few days later. 3 days after that.... ghosts me again LOL. So maybe a week goes by and she texts me and says, "hey listen this just isn't going to work out." #FailedAgain. THAT NIGHT, I'm at work and I see her with her mom and friends at one of the local hangout spots. Rumor has it she cried when she saw me, I guess it's something about a man in uniform.

That night we stood outside and talked for a while and from then on we have been basically inseparable. We've spent the last 2 years building our relationship on a foundation of friendship and just the general enjoyment of the other's company. Like everything in life this is a journey. I can think of no one other than Lindsey that I would want to continue this journey with for the rest of my days.