For those of you who ran high school cross country and track with Josh and I you already know Josh loved his pink socks. For those of you who didn't know us during our high school running days, Josh wore knee high pink socks for nearly every race. Even though we were on the same team it took us a while to meet one another, and for the longest time Rylee only knew Josh as "that guy in the pink socks". However, we had some mutual friends that brought us together and a wonderful friendship sparked!

By now feelings for one another had blossomed, but as awkward high schoolers neither party knew how to ask the other one to prom as an official date. So we ended up going to prom as "friends", but deep down we both knew we wanted to be there as prom dates.

Josh was the one to ask Rylee out on every date they went on, and on June 17th, 2021 he finally asked her to be his girlfriend (about time)! The location was Dalby Park back home in Gillette, and Rylee's response was to happily agree and dance around the parking lot. Enjoy our very awkward first photo together as a couple.

As you all know, Josh attended the United States Naval Academy and just graduated in 2025. Rylee has been attending Eastern Washington University since the fall of 2022. Which means we have undergone lots, and lots, and lots of long distance. However, it has always been worth it and is looking to come to an end soon with Josh stationing in Everett, WA.

December 21st, 2024, the greatest day of our relationship... so far! Josh had the entire day mapped out. It all started with Rylee having to do her 12 mile long run all alone, since Josh didn't quite feel like doing that one with her. However, he made up for it by surprising her at home with ingredients to make homemade brownies (her favorite dessert). After baking brownies, he spent time showing her one of his favorite movies while cuddling on the couch. Josh proceeded to tell Rylee that he had 6:30 pm dinner reservations at a surprise location, and that he was planning on the two of them dressing up nice for it. So Rylee curled her hair and put on her favorite green dress, and off they went to the Rib and Chop for dinner. The entire time Josh could not stop smiling and Rylee kept asking him what he was so smiley about and every single time he would say, "Oh nothing, just happy to be here!" While they were leaving the restaurant Josh suggested on driving through the Festival of Lights, which is a date they do every single year. While driving through the lights Josh pulled off into a parking lot near a decorated fountain and the two of them got out to walk around and enjoy the lights. Josh's plans to propose right then and there didn't quite work out, because a random family and their rowdy kid was running around and he didn't feel that it was the proper time. So the only logical thing to do was to get back in the car and drive through the entire lights show a second time. At this point Rylee was suspicious that he was up to something, because they had never gone through the lights twice. The second time around Josh saw that the fountain area was free of people and rapidly parked the car and excitedly darted out of the car. Rylee really knew something suspicious was going on now. Sure enough Josh grabbed Rylee by the hand and told her how much he loved her, and then got down on one knee to say the very important line of, "Will you marry me?" Rylee obviously said YES and just like she did when he asked her to be his girlfriend she started dancing around with joy.