Our story started before we even realized it had begun. She moved from Laredo in 6th grade, and somehow we spent two whole years in the same school without really knowing each other. It wasn’t until 8th grade in 2013 that, through cross country and class, we became friends. We were 13, just kids, but somewhere between class laughs, practice, and Spinach Fest rides that November, something shifted. A crush quietly started to grow. After months of being “just friends,” one nervous text in April changed everything. (Yes, it was over text. Middle school courage only goes so far.) That was the beginning of us — our very first relationship, and the only one we’ve ever known. We went through all of high school side by side, growing up together in every sense. What started as a best friendship became something deeper. When graduation came, we had big decisions to make. At one point, the plan was UTSA to continue running and her at TAMUK. But sometimes love makes the decision clear. Instead, we chose what felt like the best of both worlds — running and being together — and began our next chapter together at Texas A&M–Kingsville. College is where we truly stepped into adulthood. Freshman year we lived separately — her in a dorm, him in an apartment with friends — but by sophomore year we moved in together. Since 18, we’ve done life side by side. Late nights, early practices, exams, homework (with her helping on almost all of it), budgeting, dreaming, and learning what it meant to build a future — we figured it out together. In 2021, after she graduated, we moved to San Antonio for the summer — and that’s when our little family started to grow. We brought home Marvel, our goldendoodle and our super dog. His name comes from our love for superheroes, but his goofy personality and constant ability to make our days better makes him truly one of a kind. Later, we moved to Corpus while he finished school, our family grew again. We adopted Love, a black lab mix from the shelter. Only family knows this, but she’s secretly a little feisty — she growls and barks in ways that make you wonder why her name is Love. But once you get to know her, you’ll see why she truly is lovely: she’s always craving scratches, toys, attention, and loves being spoiled like the princess she is. Through every season — middle school hallways, high school memories, college apartments, new cities — we’ve never stopped choosing each other. Marriage was never a question of “if.” It was always “when.” We’ve known since we were kids that this was forever — but forever deserved the right timing. After more than a decade of building a life together, at 24 years old, surrounded by the quiet beauty of Caddo Lake in East Texas, our story turned another page. She’s always loved the Little Mermaid scene where they’re on the boat together — and also the iconic canoe scene from her favorite movie, The Notebook. So in a canoe recreating a moment that meant something to her, one question was finally asked. There were tears — and yes, even a few boogers from him — but most of all, there was certainty. From 13 to 25. From classrooms to college apartments. From a nervous text to a canoe proposal. From just us to a family of four. We’ve spent half our lives choosing each other. Now we get to choose each other for the rest of it. And we can’t wait to celebrate that forever with you.