We met sophomore year of high school at a BBQ at my best friends house (thanks Lauren!) I met Durin and thought he was super cool because he played baseball, had a beard, AND a car (shoutout Buick Skylark with the fuzzy dice). From that night on we started texting constantly and hanging out on the weekends, and on February 14, 2010 at the Florida State Fair, Durin asked me to be his girlfriend. Throughout the remainder of high school we spent as much time together as we could, which wasn't always easy as Durin and I went to different schools and lived about 30 minutes away from each other. Our weekends were often booked with baseball tournaments, marching band competitions, and horse shows so we spent a lot of time supporting each other at our various sporting events throughout Florida. In college our relationship was tested when I attended the University of Florida, and Durin moved to North Carolina to play baseball for Davidson College. The first year was tough as we had to get used to living completely different lives from each other, but we got through it and our relationship is much stronger because of the time spent apart. Some of my favorite times in college were when we would visit each other's new homes and new friends and find special restaurants and spots in each other's new towns. After graduating, we had to continue the long-distance love for a few more years when I moved back to Tampa to start my career and Durin got the amazing opportunity to play professional baseball. Flash forward to August 3rd, 2019, we were finally together again, living in downtown Tampa. Durin and I were walking along the Tampa Riverwalk with our dog, Sully, and family when we stopped to take a photo in front of the iconic University of Tampa. In the middle of the picture, Sully ran up to us with a bandana around his neck that read "Will you marry my dad?". When I looked over at Durin he was on his knee with a ring in his hand and asked me to marry him!