First Match: September 14, 2021 First Date: September 19, 2021 (Happy 24th Birthday Chase - what a present you got!) Officially Dating: January 2, 2022 First "I love you": February 24, 2022 (Chase still owes Carley a milkshake for this) Cohabitation: October 28, 2023 She said "YES!": November 22, 2024 We say "I do": June 6, 2026 Author's note: Chase knows Carley (me) too well (a control freak & a writer) so please enjoy the lack of fourth wall. I've read many love stories over the years, and I think ours just might be my favorite. Although we grew up in neighboring counties and have many connections to one another over the years, we never met until it was the perfect time. We were both in a life stage where we knew what we wanted in our lives, and we went for it. We're coined "grandma and grandpa" by our friends, and really are the definition of "two peas in a pod." It feels like it was just yesterday I was standing in the candy aisle trying to figure out what I could fit in my purse to sneak into the movies. But it also feels like it's been forever, and I can't imagine a time in my life when we weren't together. Our first date was to watch some Marvel movie in the mall, where I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Chase will also provide small commentary during the show. There was a preview for some new thing when he leaned over and said, "Now there's a dance battle." Reader, there was in fact actually a dance battle following these words. This created the first of many inside jokes still referenced to this day. But it also created a semi-quiet gaggle of laughs from us, easing any first-date nervousness. Then, there will be escalator rides in Macy's, pumpkin patch visits, and a lot of puzzles in our early dates. On our fourth date, I will tell Chase he is a "perfect end game." Happy to say that I was completely right on this. Not that anyone who knows us is surprised - me in being right and Chase in being the golden standard. Fast forward a few weeks following this, we made a bet. The first to say "I love you" owes the other a milkshake. Chase never paid up then, but he made sure to propose with one. Our proposal was "so us" in the way our first shared "I love you” was. Both were at home with no stress from people, either existing there or leaving to go to them – just us. Chase's proposal took me by surprise (by a week). We spent the evening out at dinner in our city, glowing in our little love bubble (once I was no longer crying in the living room), and then came back home to watch our show with the kittos curled up around us. It was simplistic and wholesome and perfect, and I couldn't dream of a better way to start our chapter as an engaged couple. Readers, the best part of our story isn't the story itself - there is actually nothing special about meeting on the internet. The special part is the two of us. It's the undying friendship we built. It's our ability to free fall knowing the other will pull the parachute. It's knowing that every day we are building a life together that we are proud of and showing up hand in hand when stuff goes awry. You can usually find us at home with our kittos, laughing, watching our show, or making up silly songs in the kitchen. Thank you for being here to celebrate our special day with us as we start writing new pages as a married couple.