We met in high school. Mutual friends of mutual friends. Our paths first crossed in 2009, at one of the many country concerts we attended on warm summer nights. We would give each other a friendly "Hey!" every time we ran into one another, and usually left it at that. There was an instant connection, but not in a romantic sense; more like an "I'd sing a Kenny Chesney song at the top of my lungs next to you" kind of way. We built a friendship that eventually faded to an occasional "like" on social media as we went into our college years. It wasn't until late 2014 when Twitter, Snapchat, and an eventual run-in at a downtown Akron bar that our love story truly began.

Our relationship was considered "long-distance" right off the bat. I was to graduate college 5 months after we began dating. At the time, we had no idea that a 2.5 hour drive from one another was a breeze compared to the distance we were about to experience. Andrew decided to join the United States Marine Corps in the summer of 2015, a few months after I graduated. That November, he flew to South Carolina where he would endure 3 months of boot camp. During that time, our only means of communication were letters. 89 days of running to the mailbox, hoping to find a little white envelope with a Parris Island return address. After bootcamp came MCT (Marine Combat Training), in North Carolina. Another month of training, but this time, no letters. Andrew was to leave directly from MCT to Florida, where he would attend school for Avionics. As a side note, MCT graduation is nowhere near as big of a deal as boot camp graduation, and most families do not attend. However, I felt an overwhelming urgency to be at MCT graduation, and so I, along with Andrew's mom, packed our things and would surprise Andrew and his brother Aaron. It wasn't until we arrived in NC that I finally got a call from Andrew after an entire month of no communication. He was given the news that he received a new MOS (military occupational specialty) and he would be moving directly to California for a year. It was in that moment I finally understood why I felt I needed to attend graduation. After only several hours together, Andrew boarded a bus and made his way to California. He would not return home until December, 8 months later.

From the beginning, we always said "It will be worth it"; the distance, the sleepless nights, and the uncertainty. Andrew finally made his way back home to family and friends in December 2016. The Pokornys' world had been rocked by 3 of the 6 A's deciding to join the Marine Corps within months of each other; Andrew and Aaron in November 2015 and Ambrose in July 2016. Christmas would be the first time in a year that the family would be together again, but not without a surprise for their parents, who had no idea they would be seeing their Marines during the holidays. It really was the most wonderful time of the year. Talk of an engagement had been in the air between Andrew and I for some time. However, Christmas came and went and I began to think I would have to wait until our next visit. On New Years Eve Eve, we went bowling with the family. After arriving back at my apartment, I began to cry. Everything was finally "back to normal", but it would end in a few days when Andrew would have to head back to California to finish out his schooling for a few more months. I sat on the couch with tears in my eyes, expressing my concerns about even more distance, when Andrew said "Wait, I can fix this." He left the room and returned with a ring. And just like that, it was finally about to be worth it.

Andrew comes from a family of 6 children. Abby, Albert, Andrew, Anne, Aaron, and Ambrose. It's only fitting they add another A.