We had been classmates all throughout high school, but had not really met until our junior year. One day, in Spanish class, we were randomly paired for a game of Flyswatter. We each had a highlighter, and shared a sheet of paper with Spanish vocabulary words scattered across it. Professora Zimmerman stood at the front of the class, and read aloud from a list of English words, and Kate and Owen raced to be the first to highlight each translated word on the sheet of paper. Despite being introverts, and never having met, we immediately became hyper-competitive. Each new word had us scouring the paper, scanning every inch and rapidly slashing our highlighters across it in a chaotic bid to outdo each other. At later stages in the game, we would try to pull the paper away from each other, Kate even colored the tip of Owen's highlighter to match hers, so that any time he marked a word, she'd get the credit. We played for no prize, the but were utterly determined to win. Neither of us recall who won that game today, but what we'll never forget is the instant connection that we shared. Owen had never felt such an ease in interacting with anyone before or since. We both felt shocked that we could quickly fall into such a friendly, and bombastic mood, when we rarely felt that way with other people, even those we'd known for ages. After that day, we talked more and more, and became fast friends. We had a mutual yet totally unspoken crush, but Owen was too nervous to ever take the leap and ask Kate out. Thankfully, a close friend of Kate's gave him the push he so desperately needed. Shortly after, he finally asked her on a date. Over these last seven years Kate and Owen have always grown together, and never lost the playful and joyous spirit that brought them together on that day in Spanish class. Even as perfect strangers, it felt as if they'd known each other for years.

We enjoy camping very much and had planned to recreate a wonderful trip to the mountains near Asheville, NC. Hurricane Helene had rendered many of the roads between Charlotte and Ashville impassable, and we looked elsewhere for an opportunity to get away. Kate found Meadows of Dan, a small, rural town in southern Virginia. The town itself consisted of several charming shops, the campground at which we stayed, and a single road where it wasn't much of a surprise to spot a horse and buggy. We cruised along the Blueridge Parkway, enjoying the scenic views and occasionally stopping to visit an antique grist mill, or local winery, or enjoy a hike. Owen carried the ring in his day pack and anxiously thought about what he'd say when the moment finally came. He subtly suggested that they "really should see the sunset from Lover's Leap," a modest fifty times throughout the day. In the evening, when the sky was streaked with orange, pink, and blue, they parked the car at an unassuming bend of a mountain highway. Owen lingered a moment, retrieving the small box from his pack, and placing it in his pocket. They walked down a short stretch of road to Lover's Leap, an overlook that sits above a wide and verdant basin in the Appalachian Mountains. The stone wall that separated the road from the cliff was covered with declarations of love written in paint, and sharpie. They looked out on the sunset and Owen told Kate he had "something important to ask her." He sank to one knee, nearly fell over for a brief moment, and pulled the box from his pocket. Kate immediately burst into tears. He told her that she had been his best friend for six years and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Kate said yes, and he stood up, and they embraced by the setting sun.