On April 7, 2011, Michael and I started dating - just in time for Marion Prom 2011 (and Michael's birthday). He was a sophomore, I was a junior. I'd spoken to him on occasion, but we never really interacted until that year. To me, Michael was one of the sporty kids and I was a silly band geek. Who knew we would end up having so much in common...and we definitely didn't know then that we would be getting married nine years later!

Not only did we attend high school together, we also stuck together through college. I spent a year at Kirkwood Community College to save money and be closer to home while Michael finished his senior year; then it was off to Iowa State University. College allowed us to branch out, discover ourselves, and challenge our relationship in new ways. It made us stronger as individuals and as a couple. Later we started living together which, as any couple who lives together knows, is a whole new experience (and challenge). Luckily, learning each others' idiosyncrasies and habits both good and bad didn't have us running for the hills.

After college, we were also lucky enough to both get jobs as engineers at Collins Aerospace (heritage Rockwell Collins). Though we don't work together (to protect our coworkers' and our own sanity), it's fun working for the same company. We feel closer than we ever have before, and we can't wait for our wedding celebration, and everything else our future holds together.