"This is the boy I want to be with forever," I thought as I held on to Vince as he was driving my parents' camouflage quad. It was a fleeting thought I had as Hayden, Vince, and I went for an afternoon quad ride in the summer after eighth grade. At the time I believed this thought came from my own mind, but I know today this simply had to be God whispering into the depths of my soul. This is the man you will marry. Your soulmate, a precious gift from Me. Vincent and I dated throughout high school. He was (and still is of course) my best friend. I went to every football game, track meet, and lifting competition. He drove Hayden and I to school every day until I had my license. We went to every homecoming together. We were together on weekends. We did everything together; growing up and growing closer with each day. "You know you will probably marry him one day," a teacher told me. "Maybe," I thought. After we graduated, we enrolled at Slippery Rock University together. We could not bare the thought of being apart. Our college years brought a lot of growth, but we stuck by each other through all of the stress, tears, new friendships, and crazy schedules. I graduated in May 2018. Vincent transferred to YSU and will graduate in May 2019. Vince asked me to marry him on March 2, 2018. I said yes of course (it was about time).

"So uh, are we dating now?" Yes, that is the question that has led us to today, asked over eight years ago. But hey, it worked! No one explicitly expressed their doubt about out relationship, but I could sense it, and I don't blame them either. Two kids, what do they know? Turns out, we knew that we both make each other happy. We balance each other out. I counter Sarah's edge of timeliness and organization with my go with the flow attitude. Not that there is anything wrong with staying on top of things, or knowing where those things are. Sometimes it's good to just break away and let it be. On the other hand, Sarah kept me from breaking away too far. From being too careless, or nonchalant. She always wanted and wants the best for me, in body, mind, and spirit. That's why she would let me copy the answers to our 8th Grade science homework right before turning it in. There is was also something intangible, beyond words when we first started dating. Something that I can't explain, but know to be true. And it is still like that today, only stronger and gaining in intensity as time goes by. I guess that's why you're reading this. I guess that's why (as a gimmick when I proposed to Sarah) I said, "So uh, are we engaged now?", in the same spot that I asked her to go out, many years ago. We've committed to spending the rest of our lives together and we want you to be a part of it. To help spread the cheer and have a great time.