We’re getting married!

It was the year of 2006. Seth and I sat in the same classroom throughout our sixth grade year at Centennial Elementary. He was known as one of the “cute boys” by all the girls. So, you can imagine my excitement when this shy, mysterious, VERY cute blonde boy leant me his sweatshirt on a field trip and agreed to be my boyfriend…. For a week. Neither of us can remember why or how the break up happened. I’m sure it was just too devastating for our little twelve year old hearts to hold onto. Now, let us us fast forward through all our awkward teen years of being reckless and wild and then through most of our twenties trying to figure out where we stood in the world. Through all those years, all we knew of each other was seen through the lens of social media (so… really not a whole lot). It is now the year of 2021. Summer is coming to an end and the seasons are beginning to change. For me, the fall semester at Washington State University had just begun. As I try to fight through the boredom that comes along with syllabus reading and semester planning, I decide it’s time for a little break. I hop on the ol book of faces to do some mindless scrolling when I come across a photo of a handsome fellow who had just updated his profile picture. My eyes go googley in an instant. Displayed before me is a man at work with bright blue eyes and a beaming smile. Who could it be? Why its my old grade school crush, Seth Thorson. Nervousness begins to set in. See, I’m a shy girl myself but for whatever reason, I just couldn’t shake the feeling of wanting to tell this man just how handsome he is. My internal dialogue goes haywire. “What do I say? Do I just flat out tell him he’s the most beautiful human being on the face of the planet? No.. That’s creepy.” “Akela, don’t say anything.” “Okay, even if nothing comes of it, this man still deserves to know what a babe he is. What the heck. I’ll shoot my shot.” *comment* “That smile is somethin else” A few weeks later, I’m making my way to downtown Lewiston for some lunch at Bravas. Somehow my comment worked and this hot man has agreed to go on a date with me. As I approach the restaurant, I see the man of my dreams sitting outside…. With another man? “What is going on? Does he know this is a date? Who is that?” The closer I get the more I recognize the other person. Seth greets me with hug and introduces his friend, who he knows as Fishpaw. Joel Fishpaw. I’ve seen this man many times downtown and at the library always saying hello to me as I passed by him. Seth goes on to explain that as he was waiting for me, Fishpaw happened to walk by. They talked for a little while until eventually Seth welcomes him to lunch. That’s when I knew not only was Seth a babe but he had a heart of gold too. We went on to have many more dates and now here we are. Ready to say “I do.” to forever.