We had always known of each other throughout high school, but somehow never crossed paths. Fast forward a few years, and someone gave Aidan my Snapchat — and we haven’t stopped talking since. After about a month of hanging out, Aidan officially asked me to be his girlfriend on September 7, 2020. A year later, I was heading off to college, and people would always ask if we were going to stay together. My answer, without ever having to think about it, was always: “I could never break up with him just because I’m going to college.” Looking back, that was the best decision I didn’t even realize I made at 17 years old. We did long distance for three and a half years, and while it wasn’t always easy, it made us appreciate the time we did have together even more. Between Aidan playing baseball at PJC and me transferring to Arkansas, there were stretches when we wouldn’t see each other for months. But through it all, we never wavered — and that made our relationship so much stronger. On September 6, 2025, the night before our five-year anniversary, Aidan asked me to marry him. I had a feeling it was coming, but I didn’t know when or how. We went to Hillstone for our anniversary dinner, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was happening afterwards. After dinner, as we drove back toward home, Aidan took a turn he normally wouldn’t. He told me we were going to get photos taken — something we’d talked about doing for years. When we arrived, he mentioned the photographer must not be there yet… little did I know she was hiding nearby, camera ready to capture everything. Aidan got down on one knee, and my first thought was, "oh my gosh this is happening", and then I thought, "oh my gosh my phone is in my hand", so I threw my phone so it wouldn’t end up in the pictures — and managed to crack my phone camera in the process! But I got the most beautiful ring (and memory) instead. The whole moment was a blur — sweet, emotional, and exactly what I’d always hoped for: just us, private and meaningful. Afterwards, Aidan took me home, where I walked into the biggest surprise — an engagement party with all our friends and family waiting to celebrate with us. Even though I don’t usually like surprises, that one was perfect. Seeing everyone who came from near and far to celebrate us meant the world. It was such a special night — the perfect start to this next chapter of our lives together. 💍