Our story goes all the way back to 2009, when two high school kids kept crossing paths thanks to mutual friends. Dalton was over at Fort Osage, and I grew up in Susquehanna — different schools, different crowds, but somehow always in the same orbit. Dalton will happily tell you he always had the hots for me. I, on the other hand, saw him as that friendly guy in the group — someone I knew, liked, and chatted with… but only as an acquaintance. Timing is funny like that. Still, we stayed connected over the years. Then came 2023. We were both out and about, living our own lives, when we crossed paths again. What started as a simple “hey, long time no see” turned into the kind of conversation that felt effortless, warm, and a little bit like rediscovering something you didn’t realize you were missing. This time, the timing finally lined up — and I started seeing in Dalton all the things he’d apparently noticed in me years before. What began with teenage acquaintances and a long-running crush became a love story we never saw coming… but now couldn’t imagine any other way. And here we are: still laughing, still talking, still choosing each other — and finally getting married.