Our Forever Starts Here

Jackson and I technically met for the first time at a Cardinals game in 2022. Neither of us remembers it, but we do have a photo for proof... so we’ll count it. Then we met again at a wedding; when my brother Justus married his wife Sydney. And then again when I needed help carrying a failed DIY project from Justus and Sydney's backyard. But, the real beginning of our story didn’t happen until early 2025.

I met Jackson through my brother, Justus. The two had become close friends through work, and along with my sister-in-law Sydney, they had a standing Thursday night tradition. Jackson lovingly referred to it as “Third Wheel Thursdays.” In January, I started joining them, and before long, Jackson and I became fast friends. At first, we only spent time together in group settings: Third Wheel Thursdays, game nights, concerts, and outings with Justus and Sydney. We went to an Ernest concert, celebrated birthdays with mimosas, cheered at a Blues game, and shared countless silly moments where love and laughter seemed to fill every room. Without realizing it, something steady and meaningful was gently unfolding between us.

Eventually, Jackson and I started spending a little time together just the two of us. Maybe because Justus and Sydney were busy or maybe that was just a safe excuse. In March, he bought a house and spent weeks painting and getting it move-in ready. I volunteered to help which quickly became a good reason for me to see him. Usually there were multiple people there helping because there was a time crunch. I met, and fell in love with his family, who were often there lending a hand. And on nights when no one else could come and he wasn't planning on working, I'd ask if he wanted help anyway just so we could hang out. Those nights turned into hours of talking. Sometimes we’d be in different rooms, unable to hear each other over the empty house echoes, trying to stay busy while really just wanting to keep the conversation going.

Sometime in April, my mom asked me if I thought we should invite Jackson on our May family vacation. I quickly responded with "Jackson is more Justus's friend so I think it would be better if you ask him." What I didn't realize at the time was that everyone else, including Jackson, already knew what I hadn't figured out for myself yet. By then the feelings had been quietly growing, even if I wasn’t fully aware of them. It wasn’t until our first night on vacation, after spending hours talking by the fire, that everything finally clicked. I went to bed that night and woke up the next morning with a sudden recognition: I had fallen in love with Jackson without even realizing it was happening. Later that day, I told him how I felt. I was so nervous that admitting it might change Third Wheel Thursdays or affect my relationship with Justus and Sydney. What I didn’t know was that Jackson had already talked about me to Justus months earlier. Everyone had seen it before I did... and they were all just waiting for me to catch up.

Jackson and I continued to become best friends. We could talk for hours about anything and everything, laugh until we cried and our stomachs hurt, and find joy in both the most exciting adventures and the simplest, most ordinary moments. No matter what we were doing, being together always felt like the best part. It became clear very quickly that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Jackson. On November 9th, 2025, at a special place in Tower Grove Park, Jackson proposed and in that moment, he let me know he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me too.