"Love at first sight" one might say... but literally, only one of them—which is more than valid considering one was a fifth grader in the elementary school and the other a seventh grader coming from the high school. Halee was a fifth grader sitting in absolute awe of the boy standing at the front of the gym for the school spelling bee, Derek Van Ryswyk. It made no matter to her that he was the spelling bee champ two years prior—she was merely impressed with his cowboy boots, G-E football windbreaker, blonde hair, and abnormally tall height (still her favorite feature). Halee had her heart set on what she wanted but she knew it would take a few years to get it—and she was bound and determined. Finally, after years of just being a hallway crush, Derek asked Halee to be his official girlfriend on September 12th, 2015. The life-altering moment happened in a simple, awkward "ask" of "Well everyone's saying we're dating, so we might as well make it official, huh?" (17 year old boys sure are romantic!) The next few years of high school consisted of wearing football jerseys, basketball and volleyball games, proms, graduations, and being with each other every second they could. There was never enough time in the day to not make them miss each other the second they said goodbye—even if they knew they would get to school early the next day to talk for an extra ten minutes at each other's lockers. College came next, and through a total of almost six years combined between the two, they've prevailed through the struggles that come along with a long-distance relationship. Even through extra-long-distance when Halee studied abroad in Italy for a semester (thank goodness for Facetime!) They've grown up together, and grown through much more difficult things than who won their high school sports game that night—both giving each other strength the other didn't think they had. They've found new hobbies now: golfing, hunting, traveling, cooking—really anything they can do together. But they'll never turn down a summer night of playing basketball together, because of course, some things never change. During Halee's senior year of college, the two took a road trip to Texas so Derek could see his beloved Texas Longhorn football team in their home stadium, as they rivaled Halee's home team, Iowa State. They stopped in Waco, Texas, the first night, as Halee had always wanted to see the Magnolia Silos grounds (she's a die hard Chip and Jo fan). The two ate a leisurely breakfast (at least it was leisurely to Halee), and as they began to explore the grounds, Derek got to one knee and asked her to marry him, saying he couldn't wait one more day to call her his fiancé. That takes our story to the present—the two are eagerly planning their special day, a day they've thought of since they were in high school together. June 15th, 2024, will easily be the best day of their lives. Thank you for being a part of their story. They can't wait to celebrate!