High school is not a place anyone is thrilled to go to five days out of the week, but having someone to laugh with makes the day go by a lot quicker. Christian and I first met on a school trip to Washington, DC. We were put in a small group together, which was when we really got to know each other. I remember not wanting to admit I was beginning to have crush on Christian. My friend Anna asked me if I liked Christian because she noticed us really getting along. Still trying to convince myself, I responded "Christian? Oh my gosh, no... never...I would never like him". However it was only a few hours later, when our school was playing a game of hide-and-go-seek, that I decided having a crush on him wouldn't be such a bad thing. A few days later when we got back from our trip my friend Anna ran up to tell me that Christian foolishly stated "I think I really like Ashley but she has a crush on someone else..", to which Anna responded "No! you idiot! She has a crush on you!". One week later we had set up our first date. The rest is history. Five years later and we are still just as in love, but a bit more grown up. Through high school, proms, graduations, college, new careers, and much more we have been so grateful to be by each other's side through everything. What a blessing we've had to be able to grow up together and to be together through these new and exciting times in our lives. We both have changed so much since the ages of sixteen and seventeen, but I am grateful we were able grow together, and now have fun planning our futures together. Everything happens for a reason and I thank God every day for putting us in each other's lives. I don't think in a high school of fewer than 50 kids you would ever expect to find the love of your life, but I am sure glad we did!