Nick and I have been dating for a little over ten years, but we've been friends going back much longer than that though! Little did we know, our story began when we were in elementary school in Odem, Texas. One of our first memories of each other was during recess when some random boy started chasing me around the playground, and I realized later it was Nick! I didn't really know him well at that time. Years passed though and we started talking and grew to be close friends in junior high. I remember Nick always being so kind, and as kids just being kids, I'd help give him advice on girls until he left to go to another school in 8th grade. I remember feeling a little sad thinking I’d probably never see him again, and that I may have lost a friend.. Thankfully he came back to Odem in Freshman year of high school and we continued our friendship again! We were usually in the same friend group, and would see each other a lot, mainly during band class/events. We had just finished our sophomore year in 2012, and we were boarding a bus to California for our end of year band trip! My mom was going on the trip as a sponsor, and I think there was a rule that sponsors couldn’t sit next to students or something to that sort, but nonetheless my mom and another sponsor needed a place to sit, and I noticed there was an open seat further behind me so I gave up my seat, and went to the open one, which just so happened to be next to Nick! (In hindsight, thanks mom!) We spent hours together just talking our ears off and watching movies, and before the end of the trip we secretly shared a kiss! The trip ended so quickly, and I didn't have a cell phone at the time to stay in touch with Nick so we started junior year just remaining friends...

It wasn’t until our senior year when we were able to get close again! I had a phone at that point so we were talking almost all the time, started spending time together outside of school to the point where we started saying how we were best friends for life (BFFL!). We quickly realized that we were rekindling a flame that started a few years ago, and we knew we wanted to be more than friends. We fell for each other fast, and Nick made things official in January 2014 by asking me to be his girlfriend! Later that year we graduated high school, and started going to college, Nick to TAMUK and I to TAMUCC where we pursued degrees in engineering and nursing respectively. We continued to make things work over the next four-five years with Nick driving down to see me every weekend until I was able to also drive out to him! It was definitely hard at times, but we made it work. We for sure were determined to finish college, but we both knew we did not want to lose each other either. So we continued this until we graduated college in 2019! Later that year we finally started our next chapter that we had been looking forward to for a long time, and moved into our first apartment together and started our first jobs after graduation! Shortly after that the pandemic started in 2020, but we stuck together through it all, and eventually wanted to take another step forward and bought our first home in 2021. Over the next few years we’ve made plenty of memories together with our family and friends, and grew stronger together in our relationship.

Fast forward to 2024, the year where we celebrated our ten year anniversary! A good friend of mine in California invited us to her wedding in August which was super exciting so we decided to make a trip out of it! I was excited to see my friend, and also thought how interesting it was, going back to where Nick and I shared our first kiss! For our trip, we decided to hike at the Yosemite National Park and it was absolutely beautiful and otherworldly. Nick wanted us to hike up Mist Trail which would get us to the top of Vernal Fall, one of the many waterfalls there! After a lot of hard work (and water), we made it to the top where Nick set up his tripod to get pictures of us, but he was actually secretly recording a video and it was there where he asked me to marry him and of course I said yes! It was one of the happiest days of my life! Now after many lovely years, we’re excited to take this next step forward in our relationship, and life. We’re not only happy to create more memories and to celebrate our love, but are excited to share this love with all the people that stood by us every step of the way, since the start of us!