We first met back in high school—Freshman year, AP Human Geography to be exact. Jarrod raised his hand to answer Mrs. Uselman’s question about where peaches were grown in the United States. Without thinking, I (Trushai) blurted out loud for the whole class to hear: “Oh? He’s cute and smart?!” The room erupted in laughter, and Jarrod looked me straight in the eyes and replied, “You’re annoying.” And just like that… the rest is history.

Our story hasn’t been an easy one—it’s filled with moments and challenges that most people could never fully understand without a million details. But through it all, we’ve chosen each other, over and over again. We’ve trusted, loved, and cherished every moment we’ve shared, even in the hardest seasons. And though we’re still young, we know we don’t want to spend our lives with anyone else. We’ve found our person in each other—and that’s what makes us proud. Always proud of where we’ve been, and always proud of who we’re becoming together.

We’ll just share a cute one. Back when we were freshmen, Jarrod had already had his first kiss—but I (Trushai) hadn’t. So, my very first kiss went something like this: One of our friends spotted us standing together, awkward in the way only high school couples can be. She marched right over, shoved me into Jarrod, and said, “Just kiss him already!” I panicked, turned bright red, and leaned in for my very first kiss. The worst part? When I pulled away, so did his glasses… which went flying under a staircase. It was absolutely mortifying at the time—but now, it makes for the perfect story.

In five years, we hope to be building on the successes we’ve already worked so hard for—growing in our careers, filling our lives with (at least) a million more animals, and settling into a home of our own in Texas. We dream of raising children someday and, no matter where life takes us, staying close to family always.