In July of 2020, my girlfriends and I went to Elk Rapids for a beach bonfire. We were planning on meeting up with a couple of guys from the local Christian high school. One of my friends was actually trying to set me up with her cousin. However, I noticed another boy, named Jeremy. As Jeremy and I started talking, I quickly realized he was extremely sweet. He asked a lot of questions about me, including what I wanted in a boyfriend. It didn’t take long to realize her cousin and I weren’t a match, especially with Jeremy jokingly listing all the reasons why I shouldn’t go for him. After we left the bonfire, the girls asked me about Jeremy. I had no idea what they were talking about, but after they pointed out a few things that had happened throughout the night, I started to feel nervous, yet excited. We stopped at Meijer on our way back. I couldn’t go in because I didn’t have any shoes, so Jeremy stayed in the car with me. We sat there talking, laughing, while Jeremy played Mexican music in the background (why he did that is still a mystery to me), and honestly, that’s where it all started. Later that night, Jeremy sent me a message over Snapchat asking for my number (even though he already had it). When I got home, I said, "Mom, I met a boy!"... And here we are over 5 years later.

It was July of 2020 when I was invited to a beach bonfire. I was told a few girls from Central would be there—one of them was Madison. We had met a handful of times before, but never really knew each other well. I found her incredibly beautiful, though there was one complication: she was being set up with the cousin of one of her friends. Instead of backing off, I leaned in—asking her questions, listening closely, and letting the connection speak for itself without ever saying it outright. After the bonfire, we headed back into town and stopped at Meijer. Madison had forgotten her shoes and couldn’t go inside, so I volunteered to stay in the car with her while everyone else shopped—partly to keep her company, and partly for the chance to be alone together. As we sat there, talking a little nervously at first, we laughed and lost track of time. What felt like hours was really only a few minutes. I put on some Latin music, pretending it was casual while secretly hoping she’d be impressed by my “impeccable” taste. What started that night by the water eventually led us back to the beach once more—where, years later, I asked her to spend forever with me.