Most people aren’t lucky enough to meet their person so early in life. We met the summer of 2014. While we both worked at the Valley Athletic Club at 15 and 16 years old. Collin was a lifeguard and I was a swim instructor.

Hindsight being 20/20 all of the signs were there. I remember having a Thursday private swim lesson every week. I would go in an hour early to “lesson plan” while Collin was working. As soon as I walked in he would come and fold towels in the lifeguard stand and we would talk for as long as we could.

One particular memory always comes to mind when I think of our time at the Valley. Every year the pool was shut down for a couple of weeks to do repairs and deep clean. Me and Collin were assigned to scrub the floors of the locker rooms. So there we were, scrubbing the floors, and just talking. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I just loved talking to him. We went back and forth asking questions like “how many siblings do you have?” And “do you play sports?” Nothing particularly exciting. Yet we went on for hours. When one of us had to leave to do rounds, we’d come right back like we never left. I couldn’t put my finger on it then, I just knew I loved talking to him.

We stayed friends for years. Traveling to Coeur d'Alene, Seattle, Bellingham, and Ocean shores. We spent the summers floating the river, going to the beach, having bonfires, and camping. We’ve spent the last 10 years together doing everything we still love today.

Our lives crossed paths so many times with weird coincidences, and similar life experiences. and it still took years before we got the hint.

Then we ended up going to college in the same town, Tacoma WA. Collin had decided to ask me on a date. It took a few tries before I finally agreed. Not wanting to ruin the friendship we’ve built over the last decade. Thank goodness for his persistence because we wouldn’t be here without it. Eventually I agreed, and we had our first date on his 23rd birthday.

We decided to play UNO on the floor of his living room. We were talking, laughing; having way too much fun with a card game. And all of a sudden we were back to being 15 and 16 year old kids talking on the bathroom floor for hours.

Then 4 years later he asked me to marry him on that same beach we spent many years together.