As cliche as it sounds, we met each other during our time at Henderson High School in West Chester. We became fast friends in our gym class, bonding over our love of theatre, Doctor Who, and YouTube gaming channels. Over time, our paths started to cross outside of class, too. Jessie encouraged AJ to try audition for the spring play, as she was already a steady member of the club. Soon after, AJ sang to Jessie after her friends bought her a singing telegram from the school’s a cappella group. That’s when we started to develop a shared friend group together—we would hang out in large groups at theatre rehearsals, game nights, and movie marathons. Throughout this time, our friendship and bond grew. Before we knew it, it was prom season. AJ asked Jessie to be his date to Junior Prom, and she said yes! This led to us spending a lot more time together. Then one fateful night on April 18th, 2014 while watching a movie, we shared our first kiss, making it official! The next year, we did everything together. From Junior Prom to Senior Prom, we spent our time rehearsing for musicals, auditioning for plays, at the beach for summer vacations, hosting game nights for our friends, taking long drives, and preparing for college. To celebrate our High School graduation, we took our first trip to Disney World together for Senior Week! Fall of 2015 saw us both starting college at Penn State University. AJ would be studying at their branch campus, Altoona, while Jessie was going to their main campus in State College. On weekends, AJ would commute to State College to visit. Jessie got involved on campus with a theatre club, No Refund Theatre, and we both went to many football games that first year. With some luck, AJ was accepted to transfer main campus early for his sophomore year! Upon arriving, he also joined No Refund Theatre, as well as an a cappella group, None of the Above. We supported each other through our up and downs; AJ was always front row at Jessie’s shows, and Jessie was awarded “The Biggest Fan” of AJ’s a cappella group. Time had passed and college came to a close in the summer of 2019—we were one step closer to becoming adults. After we graduated from Penn State, Jessie stayed in State College to accept a job as a User Experience Designer at Siemens. AJ moved back to West Chester and found a job as a Motion Graphics Designer at an ad agency. We had experienced long distance while commuting from Altoona and State College, but this time it felt a bit more difficult—with stricter schedules and a much longer drive. Despite the uncertainty, we both committed to commuting back and forth as much as possible. Early 2020, Jessie started working from her apartment in State College. She visited a local animal shelter and ended up falling in love with an orange tabby cat, which she quickly adopted and named him Pippin! After a year, Jessie’s temporary work from home status became more official, and she was able to move back home to West Chester while continuing to work remote. The stars finally aligned and we were able to move in together in August of 2021. The three of us have never been happier now all living under one roof. Fast forward to April 2022, and we booked a Disney Cruise to celebrate our 8 Year Anniversary. Little did Jessie know, AJ had bigger plans. While while looking out over the water, AJ got down on one knee and proposed. Jessie said yes! We celebrated that week on the ocean together, with a quick stop at Disney World, before heading home to celebrate with our family and friends back in West Chester. We’ve been through so many different stages of life together. Starting to date at 16 means means having to weather many storms, as each life phase comes with its own unique set of challenges. But throughout it all, we’ve had each other. And now, we always will. We will be married on April 20th, 2024, just 2 days shy of our 10 Year Anniversary! We hope to share this exciting moment of our lives together with you!