Forever and Always

Our story goes all the way back to Ms. Evans' kindergarten class at Rocky Heights Elementary School. In addition to being in the same class, we were also neighbors and went to the same church. Growing up, Emily would walk or bike down the street to Gregory's house for "Cookie Fridays." When high school rolled around, we were each other's dance dates to all the homecomings, Sadie Hawkins, and prom. Everyone thought we were a couple, including our teachers, but we were just friends at the time (with big crushes on each other). After graduating high school, we went to different colleges in different states. We stayed close by texting and seeing each other over breaks. Gregory asked Emily out on August 15th, 2022, at the Hermiston Starbucks over a cup of coffee after an 8-mile bike ride around town. Our relationship was mostly long-distance as Gregory and Emily attended schools four hours away from each other. They made an effort to see each other when they could, on holidays, track/XC meets, and made sure to call/text every day. Gregory proposed to Emily on August 9, 2025, at the beach on the Oregon Coast. Emily loves looking for sand dollars when she is at the beach, so after she found the first one, Gregory got down on one knee and proposed.