We met on our first day of high school. While being in a new place is always scary, we were instant friends and have been a great team ever since. From working together on projects to talking when we should have been working, it was always a good day when we got to see eachother. We have been each other’s friend, best friend, study buddy, and confidante. After 5 years of friendship, we started dating. Now, writing this knowing we get to work together every coming day, we can’t imagine a happier way to go through life.

In the Summer of 2018 Hailey and I packed some road snacks into her Prius and headed off to San Felipe, Mexico for our first trip out of the country together. Despite a 13 hour drive each way we managed to keep each other entertained and once we got there we spent the whole trip enjoying the beach, finding fun food, searching the beach for shells by moonlight, and watching Lost while our aloe soaked in. A few days into the trip, June 26th, Hailey and I went out to enjoy the water and almost definitely forget our sunblock. While Hailey was under water looking for shells or fish, I found a place shallow enough to kneel down in and pulled a perfect little ring box of a shell. I didn’t have a ring yet but the moment felt right and so did the little shell. I waited for Hailey to need air, she played water polo so that’s some commitment, and when she came up I pulled out the shell and asked her to marry me. I had forgotten about waves so it took a moment for her to see the shell but she said yes long before I had gotten it back above water.