Kaleb: Our story began in May of 2022, when I got a friend request from a familiar face. The annoying, cute, short girl I remembered from elementary school. We instantly reconnected, as if no time had passed Lexi: I like to think our story began long before that, back in fifth grade, when he was still the same height as me. We sat across from each other in class, and I couldn’t help but get a crush on the boy who always teased me. Valentine’s Day came around, and I boldly slipped a “love” note into his backpack. Of course, being a 10-year-old boy, he never even checked it. Kaleb: Ten years later, I still never found that note but I ended up finding something even better…her. Not long after reconnecting, I asked her out on our first date to the movies. She fell asleep on my shoulder before we even made it halfway through the movie. But I didn’t mind one bit because in that moment I knew she felt safe with me. Ever since that day, I knew deep down she was the one I wanted to fall asleep next to for the rest of my life. Lexi: I was so excited for our date, I couldn’t believe I was seeing the boy I had a crush on at 10 years old. I remembered the short blonde haired boy with a high-pitched voice. I can still hear his little giggle from elementary. It had been three years since I last saw him, and he looked and sounded so different. But somehow, being with him felt familiar and comforting, like no time had passed. There was something about him that made me feel safe. so safe I fell asleep less than two hours into our date, it felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be. With him.
His side: I had been thinking about asking Lexi to marry me for quite some time. I had bought her ring months before and had to keep it hidden from her without her snooping through my room to find it. I wanted the proposal to be everything she wanted but the location had to be perfect without giving it away. I finally chose Lexi’s dream childhood wedding venue, Hotel Del Coronado. It was the most nervous I have I ever been, I was dripping sweat but still not as nervous as asking her parents for their blessing which is another story for another time. It was a challenge to try and hide all of it from Lexi and she’ll say she knew it was happening but she had no clue, and all the hiding and little white lies was well worth it in the end. Everything couldn’t have gone better the sunset was beautiful, the pictures were perfect, and a random person took a cute video of the whole thing happening. After the proposal both of our families were there for a celebration right on the beach. We had a fire place, an igloo bungalow where we made s’more’s and enjoyed dinner. We took in the moment and laughed about our future to come. It was such a memorable time and I wouldn’t want to spend it with anyone else but her. Her side: On January 1st, 2025, like most couples, we talked about our plans for the year. I remember Kaleb promising I'd have a ring on my finger by the end of 2025. From that moment, being the nosy girl I am, I started trying to figure out when he’d propose. After 11 months of impatient guessing I was certain it would be during Christmas break. I was sure he was planning to during the planned “family photos”, a perfect cover for a proposal. The night before our “family photos,” Kaleb started asking questions about the plans for the next day. I was completely thrown off. He proceeded to act clueless about the plans for family pictures. When I asked if we had anything else planned before new years he shrugged. Worried he had forgotten his promise I was so sad. The next day, we headed to family photos. No one mentioning the location to me til we arrived. It was Hotel del Coronado, my childhood dream wedding venue. They almost pulled it off, until my family started acting suspicious, and Kaleb was soaked from sweat in 50-degree weather. He took me for a walk by the water to get away from everyone and asked for a photo of me facing the ocean. That’s when I knew. Before turning around the ring box was stuck in his pocket and he yelled, “Don’t turn around!” I couldn’t hold the tears back after that. When I finally faced him, I saw the perfect ring with the most handsome man on one knee. I can’t remember a word he said just the overwhelming joy of that moment, just him and me. He kept his promise.