In the not-so-far away land of Athens, Ohio, fate was working overtime as a southern girl wandered out of her hometown in North Carolina and onto the Campus of Ohio University. Her feet were not the only ones to walk onto campus that day; there was also a midwestern boy with a love for the Cleveland Browns who was beginning his journey. In those first moments, the two had no idea that their steps would eventually come from opposite ends of Court Street and meet right in front of Goodfella’s Pizza. These two sets of steps belonged to Jaelyn and Ryan.

Just as bridges exist, paths are meant to cross. Ryan decided to reach out to a friend from middle school who was also attending OU. They planned to meet up, and Ryan’s long-lost friend had the brilliant idea to ask if he could bring along his dormmates. Later, they all met, and it just so happened that one of the dormmates was Jaelyn. For the rest of the year, the group was inseparable, but it was obvious after some time that Ryan and Jaelyn shared a different bond. This bond was not something they themselves were aware of at first, but was something everyone else could see as clear as day.

Eventually and almost simultaneously, they confided in friends about their impending feelings for one another. Their friends encouraged them to explore their connection, and that is exactly what they did. Friendship and attraction created a beautiful foundation for them; those two things existed even in the years they were separated during COVID. Jaelyn had to move back to North Carolina, while Ryan was in Ohio. However, fate does not care about time spent apart. They were both able to go back to Ohio University for their final semester, alongside some of their closest friends.

They can still recall the first time they saw each other again; it was as if nothing had changed. Since then, they have spent the past few years creating a wonderful life together. They have three cats: Juno, Poppy, and Pepper, and a 40-gallon fish tank with an ever-multiplying population. They have hiked the rainforest, jumped off waterfalls, and kayaked the bioluminescent bay in Puerto Rico. They have gone scuba diving at the Blue Grotto, Rainbow River, and King Springs in Crystal River, Florida. They have taken a ghost tour in San Antonio, Texas, and enjoyed many other vacations and parties with their friends and families.

Most importantly, they have fallen more in love with each year that passes, because there is something really extraordinary about growing up together and loving every version that comes along. It’s a promise that they will make to one another in front of all of you, and then all that will be left is happily ever after.