We first met as freshman in high school, going through rookie band camp together. We never thought much of each other as we moved through the first few years of high school, but as we entered our final semester, our past relationships gone, we began to chat and realized we could be a fit for one another. We went bowling for one of Michael's percussion fundraisers, and then chose to take some detours to extend the drive home, talking and listening to Queen the whole time. For our first real date, we went rock climbing and then cooked dinner so Gwyn could watch Star Wars for the first time. After that our relationship would take off and grow over the next four years. We lasted through the stress and strain of pursuing four year degrees at separate schools, all intermixed with job and percussion commitments that consumed weekends. Most often, we would get to spend one out of every two weekends together, and would sometimes go over a month without getting to be together. It was never easy, but it was always worth it.