We met in the summer of 2016 in Grand Isle, Louisiana, when the air was salty, the days were long, and neither of us had any idea our lives were about to change. At first, one of us was interested and the other wasn’t—funny how love doesn’t always begin at the same time. We thought we were just two people passing through each other’s lives, nothing serious, nothing extraordinary. So we kept talking, kept laughing, kept spending time together with no expectations. But little by little, what we thought was nothing started turning into something. The easy conversations became comfort. The fun days became memories we didn’t want to end. Without even realizing it, we were choosing each other again and again. Life didn’t make it feel like a fairy tale. It challenged us, tested us, and made us grow up together. We learned who we were as individuals and who we were as a team. We saw each other at our best and at our worst, and we stayed anyway. Through every season, every change, every lesson, we built something real. Now, nine years later, we can look back and see how far we’ve come. We grew in love, in patience, in understanding, and in all the messy, beautiful parts of life. Every challenge only made us stronger, preparing us for the forever we’re choosing today. Our story wasn’t perfect, and it wasn’t a fairy tale—but it was ours. And we wouldn’t change a single chapter. We are so excited for our next chapter to see what is to come.