The first time Cole and I met was our sophomore year of high school. We had Mr. Brink’s Economics together in which he sat next to me and one of my friends (shout out to Jonah Muller) sat behind me. I would come to class with my finished homework and in the minutes before class would start Jonah would ask to see my homework to “double check” his answers. Shortly into the semester this process somehow included Cole. I let it slide with Jonah, we’d know each other for years and he was my best friends stepbrother, I let that count for something. But, Cole I did not know, in fact I had just met. So, eventually I told him he owed me something for stealing my homework time after time. His response went something like “Nah”. This started my slight dislike for him. This dislike lasted until senior year of high school. In fact, this dislike had led me to say some not so nice things about him to a mutual friend. Turns out it’s something I don’t get to live down!

We re-met each other senior year of high school and by this point my dislike was so watered down it had become indifference. He claims he texted me first, I tell him he’s wrong. Our first date included watching a bootlegged dvd of Star- Trek which was given to him by his grandmother. Unfortunately, I do take credit for choosing the movie. Like I do with any movie, I fell asleep. Cole however had the pleasure of watching the movie on his own, turns out Grandma Nancy didn’t do too great of a job burning this dvd because he actually got to watch the same 5 minutes of the movie over and over while I slept peacefully. He says he was too scared to wake me up and he also was confused as to why I fell asleep on our first date. Lucky for us we made it to a second date which was followed by many more.

This was the spring of our senior year of high school and by this time we had both decided on two different colleges about 2 hours away from each other. This began our many years of long distance. I eventually transferred to Duluth, slightly suspicious choice considering Cole went to school in Superior. I tell him he must have not liked me because a semester after I transferred closer to him, he transferred back to Bemidji. Again 2 hours away. I spent the next two years in Duluth while he was home in Bemidji. When I decided to pursue dental hygiene I moved home and we got to spend the next 8 months living in the same town. Of course it was too good to be true because I then packed up and moved 2 hours away to Wahpeton, North Dakota for their dental hygiene program. Cole remained in Bemidji holding down the fort. We spent the next two years ,again, long distance. At this point we were really good at it. We made time for each other on the weekends I didn’t work and I got the occasional surprise visit - who said chivalry is dead?

When I finally graduated I moved back home and in with Cole. The transition from long distance weekend visits to spending everyday together was much smoother than anticipated, I redecorated absolutely everything but found a losing battle when I suggested taking the deer mounts off the wall. They are indeed still up. Very shortly after we made a trip to Marco Island, Fl. I wasn’t too convinced there was any agendas to this trip but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think about it. Cole’s mom and my friend who came on the trip with us were very nonchalant about watching the sunset on the beach. Looking back, the suggestion should have raised a red flag. Cole got down on one knee, asked me to marry him, and said some other things that I truly can’t remember for the life of me. The rest of the story is in the process. For now we get to enjoy the engaged life. And after all of this, I still think he owes me something for stealing my homework.