Our story goes back to junior year chemistry class—somewhere between helping each other with homework and finding any excuse to talk a little longer. What felt like such a small beginning quickly turned into something we didn’t expect, but soon couldn’t imagine life without. Our first date was at Rogers Burgers in CDA, where Patrick, of course, ordered his favorite vanilla milkshake. Afterward, we drove the loop, and somehow ended up baking cookies—laughing the whole time at how bad we were at it. It was one of those nights that just felt easy, like we had known each other forever. From the very beginning, there was something different about us. As life kept changing, we kept choosing each other through it all. Not long into our relationship, we both knew this was something special. Through every challenge we’ve faced—and the ones still ahead—we’ve made the decision to stand side by side and truly live life to the fullest together.