Though Ali and I were high school sweethearts, we humorously started as adversaries in our freshman year. A hard-headed teenage dork, I openly expressed, even going on our high school news program to do so, my doubts of true-love. How silly I was. In my junior year, while constructing our ‘macho’ volleyball squad, I decided to extend the olive-branch to the cutest volleyball girl I knew, Ali. I expected her to decline my ask of her to be our coach, but with a beautiful, nervous smile she accepted. After the tournament, our team went out to froyo and I asked Ali if I could buy her yogurt. At the end of the night I sent her a text saying that I hoped that wouldn’t be the end of our communication. She agreed and a few dates and a special first-kiss later my eyes were opened to the realness of love. What a moment. Ali went off to school after our senior year, yet our relationship stayed strong, with the assistance of a few trips to her school to surprise her with her dogs. After 3 years of dating we moved in together which further cemented our love and loyalty for one another. On this last Christmas morning at the family’s annual gift-opening, within a pile of decoy boxes laid a few boxes to assist in my taking a knee in our Christmas jammies. I’m not sure how I got so lucky, but the love of my life said yes and as of the time of this writing, we are celebrating the fifth year of our one-in-a-million relationship. Throughout the years I’ve been invited to many of their family’s annual summer trips and shared traditions. I cannot express how excited I am to partake in these for the rest of our lives, building our own beautiful family and sharing these traditions for the next 100 years.