We met during our senior year of high school at a New Year’s party to kick off 2014. Colton was the cute guy in our new group of friends, and what started as a friendship quickly felt like something more. On February 8, 2014, just before I had to head home for curfew, Colton asked me to be his girlfriend while we were sitting in my car parked in front of his parents’ house — with his dad, Kevin, arriving home right in the middle of the moment. From the very beginning, we both felt at home with each other’s families, who showed nothing but love, kindness, and open arms. Family means everything to us, and our weekly dinners with both sides are one of our favorite traditions. Over the years, we’ve shared adventures all over the world — from the Bahamas and Mexico to Thailand, Greece, Italy, and many places in between — while also navigating some of life’s biggest milestones together. Colton stood by me through the madness of nursing school (which honestly deserves a medal in itself). In 2020, we bought our first home together and added two very spoiled dogs, Piper and Paul, who now fully run our lives. In 2022, we moved to Phoenix for a travel nursing assignment, ready for our next chapter. Then life surprised us when Colton was diagnosed with testicular cancer that October. Without hesitation, everything else paused so I could care for him until he was declared cancer-free in April 2023. That season showed us what true partnership and unconditional love really meant. Almost eleven years after we met, Colton proposed on November 26, 2024, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico — one of our favorite places in the world and now the most special. From high school sweethearts to lifelong best friends (and professional dog parents), we can’t wait to start the next chapter of our forever together.