h & c

How do you sum up such special 9 years into one short story? September 5, 2016 was the day that Hailey and Chris first met. Chris, being his usual reserved self and Hailey, arrived hanging out of a car sunroof. They didn't think anything of it at the time and only spoke one sentence to each other the whole night as Chris was leaving. A week later, like typical kids their age, Chris and Hailey started talking on Snapchat. That same day, Chris surprised Hailey by asking her to homecoming. As homecoming approached, Chris and Hailey hung out by themselves for the first time to pick out Chris's outfit. This time most of the conversation was trying to figure out what size pants Chris wore. Still, they didn't think much of anything at the time. The homecoming dance came and went and Chris and Hailey started to get to know each other more, but the real breakthrough came the next day when the group of friends went to Six Flags. From there, Hailey and Chris started to hang out every day. A month later on October 10, Chris asked Hailey to be his girlfriend. The two of them said 'I love you' almost right away and though they didn't understand what that fully meant at the time, they held onto it like a promise and let it lead them through every day since. They moved fast, meeting each other's families and Hailey was surprised when Chris wasn't scared away by her uncle shaking his hand with a large knife in the other. Hailey and Chris spent time at his house, teaching Hailey how to play Euchre with his family, and spending time with his younger brother Nick. As Chris's senior year was coming to an end, they attended their first prom together. The summer after Chris graduated, they took their first trip to Nashville, a place that would later become special to them and would continue to visit 4 more times together. They attended multiple weddings together and watched the way each other interacted with Hailey's cousins over the following years and started to think about having a future together. In 2019, as Hailey's senior year was ending, they attended their second prom. This time it was bittersweet as Hailey was planning to move to Indiana. The following two and a half years Hailey and Chris were long-distance and Chris would drive 10-hour roundtrips every month in his old Jeep just to see her. Chris eventually moved to Indiana the summer of 2022, and Hailey graduated college that winter. Finally, their plans for their future felt like they were in motion. On October 10, 2023 Chris took Hailey to Oliver Winery, a place in Hailey's college town that they both had come to adore. After 7 years, it was time for Chris to ask Hailey to be his wife. Over the years together, they guided each other. Chris became more confident in himself and social. Hailey became more calm and happy. Though this all started as kids, dumb in love and unsure of themselves, Hailey and Chris took every day, every up and down, and used it to grow up and grow together, strengthening their love every day. It's been a long journey, but every minute was worth the wait and there's no one else they'd rather have by their side the rest of their lives. Now, as September 25 approaches, they are excited to celebrate it with all the loved ones that took part in their story along the way.