For most, middle school was filled with awkwardness, braces & Abercrombie shirts. For some, it’s the beginning of a love story. Who would have thought that Webb Bridge Middle would hold a special place for Mark and Lexi? Not only do they hold the memories of pin guard & the start of life long friendships, but also the start of their story. Lexi spent most of 8th grade getting Mark to learn her name, & the feelings were strong as all teen romances are. Despite raging 13 yr. old hormones, nothing came of these feelings until high school. This budding romance took off in 9th grade when the two had classes together. They had the most romantic date at Regal Cinemas and with the confidence of a breath mint from his mom, Mark asked Lexi to be his girlfriend. From late night phone calls where Mark snoozed to the sound of Lexi’s rambling, AIM chats, Raider sports, Six Flags, & all things high school romances encompass - Mark & Lexi were a typical teenage couple. There were bumps in the road of course, and they broke up senior year. Later, in Mark’s famous New Year’s speech, he proclaimed, “2009 WAS THE WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE…LEXI!”. Little did he know what was to come. As time went on, they started talking again and stayed friends through college. The 410 miles of separation had nothing on the love birds. Visits to T-Town & Statesboro only tightened their bond. Lexi was interested & lead Mark on. He was finally convinced after she surprised him for his 21st b-day. It wasn’t until later, they decided to officially rekindle the flame. Despite Lexi earning the “girlfriend” title, Mark still introduced her as his ‘friend’ but everyone knew she was a REALLY good friend. The couple happily dated ever since. Since then, Mark moved in with his special ‘friend’ and a year later, the two agreed to forever on a Falcons Sunday. Cheers to Mark & Lexi, may you take the lows of 2009 and make them the highs of 2019...the BEST year of your lives! (And ours-shoutout to the open bar on July 6!)