Brendt and I grew up in Almaden, California just 2 miles from one another. We didn't cross paths until Brendt messaged me on Facebook freshman year of high school. I kept my responses brief for a few reasons: I had never heard of him, my brothers had forbidden me from talking to boys, and Brendt's grammar needed some work. As high school passed on, I heard the name Brendt Citta more and more. I cheered with Brendt's sister, Sarah, who was always encouraging me to befriend her brother. I also volunteered at Good Samaritan Hospital with Brendt's grandmother, Marcia, who talked at length about her handsome grandson and the truck she hoped to pass down to him. And finally, Brendt played baseball alongside both of my brothers - Tim and Matt. It wasn't until senior year that we finally had a class together - Ms. Taylor's English. The first week of senior year Brendt's baseball coach, Mike Sparrer, called me into his office. He asked me to tutor "Citta" in English class because he was so important to the team. Of course, I agreed to the job. A few days later, Ms. Taylor asked us to pick 12 different partners, one for each number on the clock, whom we would rotate working with throughout the year. Brendt was on my clock a minimum of 8 times. And as you probably guessed, his charm and confidence led to me developing a pretty big crush. It was a few days before Christmas break in 2014 that I finally built up the courage to tell Brendt I liked him. He replied with a sweet "I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now". I was crushed, but determined to appear unphased. The following week we attended our friend Josh Wells' family Christmas party. I wore a brand-new outfit and completely ignored Brendt for three hours. Later that night Brendt texted me that he wanted to talk, and the rest was history. We fell in love quickly after spending days at the beach, weekends at my grandpa's cabin surrounded by friends, and even quick "driveway dates" in my front yard between our sporting events. I even kept my word to coach Sparrer when Brendt got an A in English. We were devastated when senior summer came to an end, and we had to go our separate ways. I attended Texas Christian University while Brendt attended The University of Kansas. We dated on and off through college, and even in times when we weren't together we always kept in touch and rooted each other on. We decided to give it another go in 2019 as college came to an end and Brendt was playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. I traveled to Kansas, West Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana, and even Canada to watch Brendt play. Despite the long distance, we felt happier and more in love than ever. Early in 2023 Brendt chose to retire from baseball and moved into our home in Fort Worth full time. It took 8 LONG years, but it was well worth the wait when he proposed on July 15th 2023. We look forward to officially tying the knot in front of family and friends in one of our favorite places - Napa! We hope that you can join us in California for an amazing weekend full of love and lots of wine!