Connor and I were introduced to each other by mutual friends back in 2015! At that time, we were both still in high school. Connor was attending Benedictine, a private military high school and I was attending my local high school, Mills E. Godwin. Two of our best friends were dating at the time and we eventually had the chance to meet. Connor was hosting a bonfire at his house and the first thing I noticed about him was how kind, soft spoken, and generous he was, always making sure everyone had what they needed. When I asked Connor about his perspective, he said he was too scared to talk to me (lol). Our friend groups spent most of that summer hanging out either at the river, having bonfires, or ending up at Sullivans with our fake ID's (Sorry Mom and Dad). All of us had our last summer hoorah in Richmond before we started our own paths at our respective colleges. It wasn't until Spring Break of freshman year, we planned to spend the weekend in Sandbridge, VA (the holy grail for she crab soup, jam bands, and sunsets on the water) This is where Connor decided to ask me to be his girlfriend. Truthfully, my first thought was "You actually want to try long distance?" At the time, he was at ECU and I was at Virginia Tech 5 hours away. Hopefully optimistic, we went for it. Each year of college, we navigated the challenges of distance. We started out visiting each other once every two months.....(that did not work). By the end of college, we were traveling once every 2 weeks. We both found a home away from home at each other's school and with each other's friends. Eventually, we found some reprieve from the distance when we moved to Roanoke,VA. Connor was working and I was finishing Physical Therapy school. We lived with two of our best friends on Maple ave. (This house was the bomb). This was the first time we lived together! Connor's job site was only scheduled to be there for 4 months but due to covid it was extended for well over a year (YAY). This time was filled with family dinners, game nights, themed parties, and lots and lots of laughter. We cherished this time because we never knew when or where he would be transferred to next. Inevitably, Connor moved to a few more cities while I finished PT school and we went back to seeing each other long distance. After graduation, I took a job in Virginia Beach where I had my last clinical. Through divine intervention, Connor was transferred to a city just nearby. We were officially Virginia Beach residents! Virginia Beach has come to be our home and the place for our relationship to grow together. We are so fortunate to have the most amazing friends and family who supported us the whole way through whether it was while we were together or helping us when we were apart. All of this to say, we think life provided us opportunities to make the most of the distance and grow our relationship moving from teenagers to adults together. We are SO excited to share this next chapter of our lives with all our favorite people in a place that holds a special place in our heart. Now, lets PARTY!