Dylan and I first met in 2014 at a birthday party for my niece, Hannah. Hannah and Dylan are the same age and practically grew up together. I had heard about Dylan for most of my life in the context of the competition he and Hannah had formed when it came to academics, but I had never spoke with him. Although we did not exchange numbers at the party, we both knew that we were interested in the other. Fast forward a month later and Dylan and I crossed paths again – this time in Montgomery, AL. I was there for a school event and Dylan happened to tag along with his family and his sister, who was there for the event as well. It was at this event that Dylan and I finally exchanged numbers. Within a few months, on June 11, 2014, Dylan asked me to be his girlfriend. As an added detail: Dylan almost backed out of attending both the birthday party and the school event, which means we wouldn’t have crossed paths at all! Dating as a 14- and 15-year-old is proved to be a unique situation. With our relationship being the first serious relationship either of us had been in, most of our early memories include being chauffeured around by our parents to dinners and movies and seeing each other just a few times per week. By that August, I started at Saraland High School, where Dylan was already a sophomore. We were able to see each other every day, and Dylan made it a point to attend as many of the JV football games I cheered at as possible. Our high school relationship was typical, we attended every homecoming and prom together, went to grab Sonic, Taco Bell, or Whataburger after Friday Night Football games that I cheered at, and were involved in numerous other activities together. This past summer, Dylan moved to Tuscaloosa to start law school at The University of Alabama. This kickstarted a new chapter of our relationship: long distance. We are so excited to be reunited in June. We will get married on our 8 year anniversary – June 11, 2022.