Peyton and I met shortly after our sophomore year of college in the summer of 2024, but our story actually began long before that. We both graduated in 2022 from Fox Creek High School (woohoo!), shared many of the same friends, and even lived as neighbors for several months. Even with all those connections, we never truly got to know each other back then. Looking back now, it’s clear that our paths had been crossing for years before the timing was finally right. The real beginning of our story started when I went to his house to play boardgames and eat ice cream sundaes with my sisters and his sister. We played Nerts and quickly bonded over how bad we were. We started to talk nonstop and soon began to forget about the game. I honestly never wanted that night to end. I knew I wanted to see Peyton more. I got his Snapchat from my sister and decided to reach out. We began talking on Snapchat, and before long, I asked if he wanted to play a game of GamePigeon (the iPhone games you can play through text). That one small game turned into us texting more and more, and it didn’t take long before he asked if I wanted to hang out in person. One of our first hangouts was playing Wii Bowling together… which I very confidently won. From there, we started spending more time together, playing pickleball with friends and getting to know each other better. My family loved him immediately and he became a brother to my siblings so quickly which warmed my heart. I knew he was a keeper. What started as casual hangouts quickly turned into something much more meaningful. On August 3, 2024, he officially asked me on our first date. After dinner that night, I finally worked up the courage to ask him if he liked me. Not long after that, he asked me to be his girlfriend, and of course, I said yes. He has been the most kind encourager, hard worker, and supporter through everything. I cannot wait to marry him. Our story has been unfolding ever since then, truly showing the grace of God and His perfect plan for our lives. Watching it unfold together has been such a blessing that we will always treasure. We truly believe that God’s timing brought us together exactly when we needed it. Even though we had been around each other for years, we’re so grateful that everything happened when it did. Our story is proof that sometimes the best things in life come at just the right moment.