Ethan and I met at Washington State University through a mutual friend back in the summer of 2019. From the moment I saw Ethan I knew he would be the person I would spend my life with. That's probably why when we barely knew one another we would regularly watch Stranger Things on Netflix until four in the morning in his dorm. Until one night my own roommate locked herself out and called me to let her in saying, on speakerphone, "Tori I know you're on your date right now but I need your key". Cue Ethan saying, "this is a date?" And me rushing out embarrassed that my cover had been blown. After I made the decision to leave WSU and return to western Washington to finish college, the pandemic started. Ethan graduated, we kept in touch through mutual friends again but still we didn't take that chance on each other. We had been seeing one another on our own multiple times, but it wasn't until my sister, Valencia, said to me, "you should just date him." I said I would think about it, and would date him but only if he asked me in person. To my surprise on August 6th, 2020, not even a week after that conversation with my sister, he asked me to be his girlfriend. And I suppose the rest of the story, the growth, the trust, and the love, is history.

It had been an unforgettable five years since I had started dating Tori on 8/6/2020, we just celebrated our five year anniversary a few days prior. I had promised her a fun day trip out to Leavenworth, Washington. What she didn't know (and thankfully didn't find out beforehand), is that for a few weeks prior, I was planning the perfect proposal. We had planned to go to Leavenworth, where we would first go to a winery for a short tasting, take some Instagram-worthy photos in the 100 degree sun, and have a nice walk through the town with a delicious Italian dinner to end off the day. However, I had one more plan to add to the itinerary. After the first wine tasting, I asked "Do you want to take some pictures?" Tori happily agreed. I asked her to turn around and hold her wine glass in the air to get some pictures of her against the backdrop of the gorgeous mountains and flowers. And then, in a few swift motions, I swapped the camera for the ring, kneeled down on one knee and asked the magic question. After a few heartfelt moments, she said "yes!". Which relieved me, as my heart was beating out of my chest every second since we had left for Leavenworth that day. Knowing I would get to spend the rest of my life with my rock, my guiding star; the most amazing, quirkiest, silliest and smartest person I have met, Victoria Poston.

This is a story we will all get to make, together!