Finally...

Dustin and I first met in the 5th grade. We were 5th graders in luv, rawr. We "dated" until Dustin told me he loved me over IM, I got creeped out, broke up with him, and then "dated" his friend, Parker. Oops. However, throughout the years, my mom would come home and tell me that she had run into Dustin's mom, Crystal, and that Dustin still had a crush on me. In the 6th grade he drew me a heart with our names in it. In 7th grade he threw deodorant at me on the bus, which made me think I smelled. We didn't really reconnect until our Freshman year of high school

I first met Kenadee when Westview and Meadowbrooke joined together in 5th grade. I took one look at that dork and she had me ever since. I think it was the round glasses that really caught my eye. Her story makes me sound like a stalker, but if it makes me a stalker because I noticed things about her like her terrible basketball skills at our TGIF parties, how she waited to eat until everyone got through the lunch line, and her running out of class because she got her first introduction to womanhood, then so be it. It all worked out in the end, even though she broke up with me for someone who I later became friends with in high school.

Dustin and I met back up Freshman year of high school. We were in Geometry together and he Facebook messaged me that he "needed help with math". My inflated ego went - yes, I am good at math, I can help. My Geometry grade went - you both gonna fail. Dustin and I started texting and we hung out a couple times. He asked me to be his girlfriend on March 6th, 2011. I said no. He kept bothering me until I said yes, and he has been stuck with that poor, poor decision ever since.

Even after Kenadee shattered my little 5th grade heart, I always had a feeling she was the one. I patiently waited, until fate put us in the same geometry class in the second semester of freshman year. Thank God for texting, there was no way I could work up the courage to talk to her in person. I gave her some lame excuse about needing help with math just to talk to her. I can't believe how oblivious she was.

By our Senior year of high school, Dustin and I had been dating for 3 years. We were both going to go away to school, but at the time, we did not know if we would be attending the same college. On March 6, 2014, Dustin came out to my house, got down on his knee, and asked me if I would promise to be his. In response, I rolled my eyes, smiled, and said "I guess." Yeah, I know, I'm a turd.

After 3 years, most couples would've been engaged. I learned a lot about Kenadee in that time, and loved every bit. I hadn't proposed yet because we were about to go to college and we weren't sure about what college we were going to or what life was going to be like, and mostly because I was poor. So for a fraction of the price but all the commitment, I gave her a promise ring. It was a promise to love her unconditionally, stay together through the uncertainty of adulthood, and to someday get her an actual engagement ring. Had I known her response was going to be "I guess," I would've asked more sarcastically.

On our 7th year anniversary, March 6 2018, Dustin decided that he better lock all this down. He took us to our now home and got down on one knee and after a cute little speech, asked if I would marry him. I thought he was kidding and I about passed out. In a daze I said, yes. I remember that after I blurted out the confirmation that I shouted out, "WAIT! Did you ask my dad?" (He did.) My favorite part of the proposal was how NERVOUS Dustin was during the entire ordeal. I think he actually thought I might say no. What an idiot.

We both decided on Eureka College. Good think we did because it would've sucked without her. We got each other out of our comfort zones and even joined Greek Life. She was actually socializing. By the last year of college, I knew I had to officially propose and not keep it at the we've-been-together-so-long-we're-basically-engaged stage. We planned on moving in together after graduation and since being married before graduation was unreasonable, the least I could do was propose. It wasn't so much the proposal that I was nervous about, it was asking her father for his approval. I wasn't worried about Jamie, she's been saying, "Hi" to me since 5th grade. I was worried he was going to throw me in a ditch after I asked them. Luckily, I'm still here today.