We like to say our story began on February 23, 2019, the night of our very first date. By March 9th, we had decided what we already knew in our hearts—that we were officially together. Just a week later, hanging out with friends in the dorms, Nate snapped the very first photo of us as a couple. That spring was everything—long walks on campus, late-night talks, and celebrating milestones big and small. By May 14, 2019, after a semester of laughter and love, we celebrated with Abby’s parents at a musical in East Lansing. Our first summer was a whirlwind: splitting time between my home in Kalamazoo, her home in Howell, and lazy afternoons at her parents’ cottage on Blue Lake. Those days felt endless. Then came May 27, 2019, when Abby left for her study abroad in London. She missed my birthday and our six-month anniversary, but we kept our love alive with endless video calls across the ocean. By August 6, 2019, she was home, and when fall semester began, we threw ourselves into Spartan football games, yelling, cheering, and just loving being side by side again. Over the years, we’ve stacked up memories like treasures: a New Year’s trip to Sanibel Island in December 2019; moving in together during the chaos of March 2020 when the world shut down; summer trips to Pentwater, chilly weekends at Blue Lake, Halloween costumes that made our friends laugh (yes, we really were Aang and Appa once). By our two-year anniversary on February 23, 2021, we painted pictures for each other and laughed when we revealed the same thing: the Loch Ness Monster. That’s when I knew, if I hadn’t already, that she was my soulmate. We’ve traveled coast to coast—Niagara Falls, Boston, Rhode Island, the Blue Ridge Mountains. We’ve celebrated graduations, road trips, comedy shows in Philly, Valentine’s dinners in Lansing, and even adopting Archie, the dog who doubled our joy in 2022. Our journey has carried us through moves to Kansas and Colorado, always building our home wherever we land. Together, we’ve stood under solar eclipses, trekked through New Zealand, cheered for new teams, and celebrated with old friends. And then came July 4, 2024, when on the shores of Lake Michigan, with my heart pounding harder than the waves, I asked Abby to marry me. She said yes. A few days later, I pulled off my greatest surprise yet—gathering all our closest friends to her parents’ cottage for a weekend of love, laughter, and celebration. Looking back on these five years, it’s hard to believe how much we’ve grown, traveled, and dreamed together. But looking forward, I know the best is yet to come. This is only the beginning of our forever.