Anya’s perspective: Jeff and I met each other for the first time in Mrs. Allen’s Kindergarten class, although to this day we both have no recollection of each other. We spent years in shared classrooms, field trips, and after school activities never knowing our person, our forever, was just a few feet away laughing with their own group of friends. Our paths crossed for the first time in our junior year of high school, although one of us (it was me 🙄) was still to young and naive to see the potential. They crossed again the summer before our senior year at my best friend's birthday party when life (a volleyball) smacked me in the face and I realized the boy standing on the other side of the net was the funniest, cutest, and most interesting person that I HAD to get to know better. Fast forward a few weeks to me chasing him down after a football game, jumping in front of his car, and asking him to go on a date with me. That night I ran my first red light because I was too busy freaking out to my friend in the car. Our first date came and I knew after an hour of nonstop talking and flirting (followed by two more) that I wanted this man at my side for a loooong time. Five years pass, and I am still so glad I grew up and saw what was right in front of me all along.

Jeff’s perspective: I guess that Anya and I technically met in elementary school, but neither of us were really interested in getting to know the other, as we were both still kids with a million other things that were more important. We actually started to get to know each other during our senior year of high school. Through the trials and tribulations of trying to set up talking to each other through mutual friends of ours, we eventually went out to eat. We ended up going to the upstairs of Barista’s in New Martinsville, which Anya suggested. I quickly learned that I didn’t think super highly of the food there, but I did think pretty highly of Anya. We hit it off pretty well, having similar opinions and plans for the future. Eventually this led us to Fairmont State, and further down the line into the education department in particular. Living in the same dorms was a blessing in disguise with how much time we spent together, we ended up becoming much closer than we could have been otherwise. After we both graduated and closed the door on college, we decided to get engaged and open the door to our next steps of life.