Once upon a time...

It was probably a sunny morning as Caroline and Stephen first locked eyes in Mrs. Nagurney's kindergarten class on the first day of school at Neidig Elementary. It would be too perfect to say that it was love at first sight, however; it wasn't until several months later when they were paired together for the infamous, right of passage, "Turkey in the Straw" square dance, that the seed was planted.

As fate would have it, the two were tragically ripped apart by circumstance when they were placed in separate classrooms for the next three years. They exchanged nothing more than glances on the playground and throughout the halls. Quietly, Stephen moved across town to begin his fourth grade year, leaving Caroline behind. Their paths diverged. Luckily, the star-crossed lovers met again at Strayer Middle School, but between different classes, friend groups, and extra-curricular activities, it seemed like this was the end for Stephen and Caroline. Against all odds and as time went on, passing glances turned into words, words turned into conversations, and conversations turned into inside jokes. After years of dormancy, the environment was finally cultivated and ready for the next stage of life.

After a few months of being partners in Mr. Seip's tech-ed class and hanging out during rehearsals for select choir, Stephen mustered up the courage to ask Caroline to be his girlfriend. The dynamic duo bonded during lunch and between classes over Star Wars, music, and puberty. They shared their first kiss outside of the auditorium and the seed began to sprout.

Mother nature works in mysterious ways, as does young love, and unfortunately some sprouts take longer to grow. Evidently, Stephen and Caroline entered a period of stunting as the summer before high school sent them into a whirlwind of emotions. The couple broke things off for awhile, but all hope was not lost. The dog days of summer were in full swing as destiny stepped in and nudged the two together during marching band camp. It took a few months of friendship until the sprout was ready, but they could no longer deny it... the kids had chemistry.

After years of longing and wishful thinking, the lovers were finally reunited. They had their fair share of quarrels, qualms, and questions but the one thing that always held them together was their ability to make each other laugh. The pair was inseparable, in love, and flourishing. On September 30th 2016, in the most unusual of places, Stephen spontaneously asked Caroline to move their plant to a bigger pot by giving her a ring. They plan to do so in the presence of their lovely and supportive family and friends.

A plant, like a relationship, is something that takes hard work to maintain. There are days when you forget to water it. There are times when it doesn't get enough sun. There are moments that, despite asking it 100 times, it forgets to pick up its hair out of the shower drain, or put its dirty clothes IN the hamper instead of next to it. No matter the circumstance, there are always ways to revive it and let it know how much it means to you. We are beyond excited to share our special day with you and hope that you will help us to continue to grow!

lol