Ben and Tess met in April of 2013 in his driveway. He had just finished running at a track meet and was exhausted! They awkwardly got seated together for dinner, and found they enjoyed talking with each other. On July 14, 2013, Tess invited Ben to her 17th birthday party at her parents' home. She drove him home, where he asked her if she wanted to be in a relationship with him. She did not realize what he had asked, so she called him a few hours later for clarification. So, the time they became "official" remains undetermined. In 2014, they attended each other's senior proms! To Tess's dismay, her prom dress had not yet arrived! So she had to use an old dress from the previous year. She was sad, however, because they had already ordered flowers and a suit that matched the dress. So, Ben's mom called and changed the flowers to include colors in both of their outfits. This moment is still one of the most touching memories Tess has. In June of 2018, Ben underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor. Since the surgery was performed at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Tess was unable to go. Her mother and two friends (Ellie and Paige) took the day off of work to spend time with her. Everything went well! Many FaceTime's happened that week. Ben brought Tess a purple, glass butterfly as a souvenir. To this day, he uses the his Mayo Clinic water bottle daily-- washing is not as frequent as it should be.... On May 5, 2019, the Kentucky Derby ran as scheduled. This was the year that the winner was overturned! In between the race concluding and the winner being disqualified, Ben proposed! They were with his family on St. George Island. Hugs were exchanged, champagne popped, and tears wiped. In September of 2020, Ben got his driver's license! This was a grand milestone for them, as it meant Ben had finally hit 90 days of being seizure free. At the wedding, Ben and Tess will have been together for nearly 8 years!