Taylor and I have known each other since we were in Center Nursery Preschool together. Coming from a small town, we were able to go to the same schools and share the same experiences together from afar. Although we wouldn’t consider each other “friends” growing up, that would shortly change in the spring of 2013.

It was in our eighth grade math class when Taylor made the first move of asking the girl who sat next to her to ask for my phone-number. As confused, and uninterested I was in the girl who sat next to Taylor I acquiesced. I begrudgingly gave her a fake phone number. The next day I found myself chuckling at the joke I pulled when the classmate said that number didn’t work. Once she realized what I had done, she revealed that it was not her that was trying to get my number, but it was Taylor, and my stomach dropped. Did I just blow my chance with her? In a panic, I gave my number to the classmate, in the most legible handwriting I had, and begged her to pass it along. I remember waiting for hours after school that day, curious if I was ever going to get a response. FINALLY, that night I received a simple “hey”, and I was engulfed with excitement.

One of the things that makes our relationship so special is the time we have gotten to spend together. Since March 23, 2013 we have been able to go through life’s challenges together and grow with the experiences we have had. From our awkward days in middle school and high school, through the challenges of college and grad school, to now a new life together in Boston. All of these experiences have been things we wouldn’t have wanted to do alone. Being able to do things together and lean on the other when times were tough is how we have found strength in our relationship.

On June 9, 2023 I asked the most important question of my life on a dreary day in the Seaport of Boston. I had been with Taylor for over 10 years at that point but was still shaking with nerves. When she arrived I was speechless with how beautiful she looked and forgot everything I was going to say. At that point there was not much to say as it has already been said through all of our experiences together over the past 10 years.

If there was one thing I could have said if not left speechless, it would have been that each day together, I have fallen more in love with you. I never could have imagined that the awkward eighth grader who gave you a fake number would now be the one waiting for you at the end of the aisle. June 8th, 2024 cannot come soon enough!