We're getting married!!!

You may have looked at that date and been confused. Allow me to explain. We were 8 years old, starting our first day of 3rd grade at the brand-new Clark Creek STEM Academy! It's crazy to think that the love of their life was sitting across the room from them in elementary school.

They spent time together at the end of our freshman year. Nich ran the mile with Leila for my gym final, since he didn't have one for weight training due to a broken hand. They talked, exchanged numbers, and arranged to ride the buses home during finals week, even though that meant waiting around for hours. We fell for each other quickly, texting and calling each other over the summer. Leila spent several weekends watching Nich play travel baseball. They always talked about the game afterwards, since she had played softball since I was little, they really connected over it.

Leila had been bugging Nich about a ring for a while. They made plans to visit Providence Canyon State Park with Leila's sister and her husband. They had visited this beauty a year prior and were eager to return. Little did Leila know my life would change during this trip. We ventured into the canyon to start the trail, stopping at every beautiful view. About halfway through this hike, they found themselves in a private section of the canyon, a beautiful and secluded area. Leila was admiring the view when Nich told her sister and her husband to get a picture of them. They posed for the picture, and then he turned towards Leila, got down on one knee, and then popped the question! Leila broke into a pool of happy tears and said yes, admiring the stunning ring. The rest of the hike, she had a smile from ear to ear.