We met in kindergarten, and if someone had told us all those years ago that we would be getting married someday, we would have hoped for it to be true. From a love letter wishing me well over the weekends we wouldn't see each other, hearts etched over faces in class photos, and Kristen's mom asking if Kristen could see her "knight in shining armor" on Halloween, the love was always there. Maybe a moment of "ick" when Alex offered Kristen a piece of gum (which Kristen planned to cherish forever) before he made the move to Florida, and a fake bug popped out instead. Alex made sure Kristen would never forget him. I certainly didn't. We reconnected about 5 years later through friends in common playing video games together. I remember seeing a "Mr Oogie" username playing with my friends and wondering who it could have been, but it all made sense when I heard him calling my name from the headset. All through high school and some college, we remained long distance friends - chatting on Facebook every few months, reminiscing about the time we had childhood crushes on each other and wondering how things could have been. Those wonders started becoming a reality as Facebook chats turned into a phone call on May 4, 2017. I was getting ready to graduate and after he watched me cross the stage, he asked what I was going to do. Planning a two week trip to visit Alex seemed like the only thing to do. I booked my very first flight in June and when I returned, my mom asked when I was moving. I thought she was crazy for asking that, but May 4, 2018 Alex and I were packing my car in New York and starting my move to Florida. We lived with family, and then friends (shout-out to our Officiant - Jordan), and then on our own for the first time. Our first apartment led to us forming a family - Steve, Lizard, and Luna found their way into our lives and we couldn't picture it any other way. On March 31, 2025 Alex popped the question at one of our favorite gardens, Sunken Gardens in St. Pete and put together an amazing surprise engagement dinner with our families and friends at Circles, where we had one of our first dates. We will be getting married privately on May 4, 2026, but are excited to celebrate with all of our loved ones on March 21, 2027.