10.16.27

Before we were ever really “in” each other’s lives, we were basically right there. Kamryn’s childhood home (before her family moved) was across the street from Caleb’s childhood home, so we could have been neighbors long before we became anything else. Looking back, it feels like one of those little signs that our paths were always meant to cross.

Somewhere in middle school, Kamryn definitely had a crush on Caleb. The moment she really remembers thinking he was cute was during the Warrior Challenge in gym class... a very specific, very middle-school-core memory. Even with the crush, we both dated other people and stayed in our own worlds for a while… still friends, just not quite there yet.

We didn't really start talking until a certain freshman year football game that fall. Caleb was behind Kamryn, and they sparked a conversation. After that game, Kamryn made the first move and texted Caleb. Thankfully, he texted back… and from there we became inseparable. One of Kamryn’s favorite early memories from that time is Caleb asking what kind of flowers girls like, and her very serious answer being “Walmart flowers.” It pretty much sums us up. Not long after, Caleb asked Kamryn to homecoming the day before the dance with a sign that said, “I know it’s late but it would be great if you would be my homecoming date.” (Check the gallery for the photo!) We went together the next night, and afterward ended up at an afterparty at one of Kamryn’s friend’s houses. Even there, we basically stayed glued together, watching old Vines and laughing until Caleb had to leave. That night felt like the beginning of something, and it turns out it was.

High school became the backdrop to a relationship that felt steady from the start. We were showing up for each other’s games whenever we could and always finding small ways to be in the same place at the same time. Even the ordinary moments mattered to us: a quick hello in the hallway, walking each other to class when our schedules allowed, or just knowing the other person was nearby. Being together felt easy, and it made those years feel lighter. Our first date was at Emricson Park, we sat and talked for hours, but it’s one of our favorite memories because it was simple and completely us. At one point, Kamryn was taking photos for the boys soccer team, which meant she sometimes traveled with them. Caleb loved it, and it became another way we supported each other in the middle of busy seasons. Senior year, our school’s tradition is to paint your hands and place your handprints on the wall. Kamryn added hers early as part of the leadership team, and Caleb added his later after returning from a tennis tournament. When he finally put his hands up, he found Kamryn’s and added a small heart beside them. It was a quiet, perfect gesture, and a reminder of what those years were for us: always finding our way back to each other, and always choosing each other.

Caleb’s freshman year took him to Rockford University, while Kamryn was in Kentucky starting a new life of her own. Between Caleb’s sports schedule and Kamryn going through recruitment and learning her new routine, it wasn’t easy. But even then, we stayed close in all the ways that mattered talking as much as we could and making it a point to see each other at least once a month. Being apart changed the way we valued time together. Every visit felt like something we truly got to have, not just something we assumed would be there. We made the most of breaks and weekends, spending as much time together as possible and joining each other’s families for trips that are still some of our favorite memories: fishing trips, Hilton Head, Destin, and all the in-between moments that made distance feel worth it.

On August 21, 2024, we moved in together in our beachfront apartment in Edgewater, Chicago. After years of doing long distance and building a relationship through different seasons, coming home to the same place every day felt like the most natural next step. Living together was easier than we expected. One night in the elevator, Kamryn said that out loud to Caleb, and it still feels true. Of course, our very first “fight” living together technically wasn’t with each other… it was with our couch. We were so excited to find the perfect one on Facebook Marketplace, right up until we realized it absolutely wasn’t going to fit in the elevator. After about 35 minutes of trying anyway, we gave up and carried it up eleven flights of stairs on one of the hottest days of the summer. That day became a pretty perfect preview of us: figuring it out together, staying (mostly) calm, and finding a way to laugh through it. Kamryn eventually broke the ice by asking, “So… what was your favorite floor?”

Caleb planned the perfect surprise proposal at the Tulip Festival at Kuipers Family Farm in Maple Park, Illinois. He told Kamryn they were going on a fun spring day trip, and secretly had his friend Brett hiding out as a photographer to capture everything. Kamryn, of course, wanted to experience every activity before picking tulips. We played ski-ball, did water-gun races, and even tetherball (where Caleb almost had a heart attack watching Kamryn nearly break a nail). Meanwhile, Caleb was quietly trying to steer the day toward the exact spot he’d picked out in the tulip fields… and Kamryn kept wanting to go everywhere except that direction. Eventually, we made it to the spot. Caleb got down on one knee and asked Kamryn to marry him, surrounded by rows of tulips and one very hidden photographer. Kamryn was so happy she could only repeat: “What the heck!!!” Afterwards, Caleb surprised Kamryn with both of their families for a celebratory dinner, exactly what she was hoping for.

These days, Caleb is finishing his last year of the DPT program, and Kamryn is continuing to grow in her career. After ten years of choosing each other through every stage of life, we’ve never been happier and living together still feels like the easiest, best part of our days. We love our simple routines: a bottle of wine, game nights, and finding new ways to be competitive in the most loving way possible. We are excited for what comes after Caleb's graduation, moving somewhere outside of Chicago, starting a new chapter, and finally getting our first dog. More than anything, we’re just excited to keep doing life the way we always have: together.