A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away… What can I say about how our love story started? There’s a lot to be said about fate and happenstance. Or maybe it was just a normal day at Six Flags—where we both happened to work—and I thought I was just making another friend. Boy, was I unprepared for what came next. About six months earlier, I had told my best friend I wasn’t really interested in getting a girlfriend at the time. But if it happened, it happened—and that part is important. The day I met Amanda felt like any other. We were working in the same area, just on different teams, the way they rotate people through rides. She was funny, quirky, a little shy, and definitely a nerd—but that worked for me, since I wasn’t much different (just less shy, I’d say). We became fast friends and always enjoyed being on shift together. As I started getting cross-trained for future leadership, we ended up spending even more time together. One night after a closing shift, we were cleaning up a queue in the dark, humid air. It wasn’t exactly difficult work, so when I saw her lying on the ground, I thought it was kind of weird… but I joined her anyway. That was when the dance started. Now, ask any guy—we are completely oblivious when it comes to hints. So when, on a cold night, she pulled her jacket tighter and said, “It’s so cold out—how are you not cold?” I just said, “I like the cold.” Then she said, “My hands are freezing… can you warm them?” Being a gentleman, how could I refuse? I rubbed my hands together and took hers, trying to warm them as best I could. Looking back now… yeah. Hook, line, and sinker. We ended up sitting in her car talking for another hour before finally leaving. At the time, I had no idea that was her dropping hints. I thought she was just cold! But clearly something worked, because I wanted to spend more time with her—and I did. That led to our first “date,” which I thought was grabbing food and walking around La Cantera… though she insists I said we were just “hanging out.” Funny enough, it was my dad who helped make things official. He asked if I was bringing Amanda to his birthday, so I figured I’d ask her. One thing led to another, and she basically told me to ask her to be my girlfriend right then and there. Obviously, I did—or we wouldn’t be here. And just like that, I had my first real girlfriend. A few months later came one of the boldest moves I’ve ever seen. We were finishing up a casual sushi lunch when she told me to close my eyes and hold out my hand. Then she slipped something onto my finger—a paper ring. I was completely speechless. Dazed. Confused. I couldn’t even process it during the whole drive home. But the truth was, I had already been falling more in love with her every single day. From there, everything just fit. We went on trips, made memories, and built a life together. Years went by, and we didn’t even need to say it out loud—we knew we were it for each other. We eventually got promise rings, being our usual cute, in-love selves, and then in 2024, I proposed. And yes, she said yes. It hasn’t been long in the grand scheme of forever, but I can’t wait to see what the rest looks like. What can I say—how lucky can one guy be? Thank you all for being part of our story and for celebrating this next chapter with us.