Let's start from the beginning, shall we? Colton Oakley Wilhelm was born on November 3rd, 1998 in Concord, New Hampshire.

Sarah Jane Connor was the third baby born in Seattle in 1999. Here's the newspaper article to prove it!

He was a punk...

She did ballet.. what more can I say..

Colton moved from his home in Newbury, New Hampshire to Bozeman, Montana to go to school.... More accurately to snowboard and hunt. It was during his freshman year of college that he met Sarah in the dorms. She offered him a beer and the two talked the entire night over Coors Lights. His first impression of her was that she was smart, beautiful, and funny. Despite their connection, the two barely crossed paths and remained completely platonic acquaintances for nearly three years.

Sarah also moved to Bozeman, Montana to go to school at Montana State University. She moved from her home of Issaquah, Washington and a couple of months later ended up hanging out with Colton completely coincidentally. She felt so lucky that she had just stolen a six pack of beer from her friends upstairs and was able to get Colton to stay by offering him one. Looking back now she would have never guessed that the goofy boy with the long blonde curls would become the love of her life.

Colton spent the next years hunting, fishing, and hanging out with friends.

Sarah spent her time with her friends and her new dog, Rex.

After three years of seeing each other around and polite small talk, Colton and Sarah finally decided to figure out if their relationship was more than just friendship. On November 2nd Colton asked Sarah to be his girlfriend.

A few months later, Sarah finally admitted that she had fallen in love with Colton. Colton replied with, "I know you do." Points for sweet Star Wars quote, but still a failing grade for being an asshole.

In the morning though, once the hilarity of his joke had worn off, Colton professed that he had loved Sarah for weeks.

As their first Montana Winter together came to a close, the pair began camping and exploring their time in the mountains. They spent a lot of time in beautiful remote areas near lakes or rivers. Rex was stoked.

That Summer was the first time Colton showed Sarah his hometown of Newbury, New Hampshire. It was also the first time she met his friends and family and discovered how incredibly loved he was by them all.

Sarah still in school and Colton working hard as a welder, the pair traveled to different parts of the country as much as they could.

Their second Winter together came around and Colton started showing Sarah some of his hobbies. She was better than him immediately and caught 100% more fish than him.

She showed him her hobbies too. He has fully surpassed her abilities to eat in bed then go into a short coma.

As Covid came to a close in Bozeman, Sarah and Colton both got busier than ever. Sarah worked at a vet hospital while Colton spent long hours welding. The time they had together was limited, but often spent among friends at The Molly Brown or El Camino. Like the rest of America, Covid is really just an alcohol-fueled blur.

Sarah went to the animal shelter as she does often when she saw a little black dog with a floppy ear. She fell in love instantly, but Colton's warning not to get a crazy puppy echoed in her mind.. and this pup was bouncing off the walls. So, Sarah went home without the dog, certain that Colton would admire her self restraint and fully prepared to give a powerpoint presentation on why they needed to adopt him. Instead, when she arrived home she was met with a disappointed Colton who asked, "Where's our puppy?" They got him the next morning and named him, Crash.

The pair went to their first music festival together called, Under the Big Sky where they were able to see their favorite artists such as, Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, and Ryan Bingham. Sarah FINALLY let go of her city roots a bit and admitted she liked country....(only folk country! sorry dad.)

Colton's birthday came around and Sarah had planned a special surprise... A week long trip through the Caribbean. Colton's first trip out of the country.

The couple landed in Galveston, Texas and they began their international journey.

They had the time of their life. They spent the next week snorkeling, swimming, with sharks, and drinking cocktails on the beach.

Still to this day, Belize is their favorite place they have ever visited.

Soon after their arrival home, Sarah got news that she got into an art school in Savannah, GA. She went home and told Colton, but assured him they did not have to go. He immediately stopped her and told her that he would support her dreams even if it meant leaving his favorite place.

The couple spent their remaining days in Bozeman trying to make enough memories to carry them through their time away.

They spent their time at the Crystal and Music on Main. Excited for the new adventure, but sad to leave the place they loved.

But way more than the place.. the people they love.

As August rolled around the two put all of their belongings in a Uhaul and drove from Bozeman, Montana to Savannah, Georgia... Well... Colton drove.. Sarah spent the week long trip choosing which song to play next.

They spent their first weeks exploring their new home. More accurately, the beach. First thing Colton did was buy a surf board. Second thing he did was realize the waves on Tybee Beach are 3 feet tall on a good day.

After a couple months of living in Savannah, Sarah and Colton became friends with another couple that lived on a farm just outside of town. It just so happened that they had a little German Shepard puppy that needed a home.. Both Sarah and Colton's favorite breed. Sarah begged Colton to get the puppy, but he was steadfast in his decision to not get another dog. However, on their 3rd anniversary Colton drove her to their farm to pick up the little guy and they named him, Smoke.

As Sarah pursued her screenwriting degree at SCAD, Colton was left wondering if welding was really his passion. It was at this time that an opportunity to become a firefighter presented itself. He made the leap and switched careers. Now, he can't see ever doing anything else. He loves his job and Sarah loves the four days a week she gets with him.

The extra time they had together paired with Colton and Sarah both loving what they were doing, allowed them happiness that they hadn't even experienced during the honeymoon phase. They fell in love all over again.

They became completely inseparable. They had already been way past girlfriend and boyfriend status, but now their relationship transcended even best friendship. They had truly become soulmates.

With the extra time the couple were able to really explore their home. Going to North Carolina, South Carolina, inland Georgia, and the Southern tip of Florida.

This is why when Colton asked Sarah to go on a roadtrip to a small island in Southern Georgia, Sarah didn't think anything of it.

He took her to a beach on Jekyll Island full of petrified wood called, Driftwood Beach. It looked like a scene out of Alice and Wonderland.

As nervous as he was, Colton made it the proposal of Sarah's dreams. The amount of thought, love, and care he put into it makes her emotional even now.

And after five years of love and life together she said yes and they were officially engaged.

She was really cool and chill about the whole thing, obviously.

Thank you all for celebrating us and caring enough to read through our entire story. We would not be us without you and we truly believe that without each person in our lives we never would have found each other. Thank you for being a part of our story. We love you.