It all started in August 2024 during school. By chance, we ended up sitting next to each other in class, which made conversations natural and effortless. We quickly bonded—laughing together, helping one another, and even teaming up for one of our big projects. I asked her to lunch four times, but each time, she said she’d already eaten. Then, one day, I caught her out eating with her friends. That’s when I knew I had to take a different approach. Knowing we both loved working out, I asked her to join me for a workout session—and from that moment, I realized she truly had my attention. Some of my favorite memories are the moments we shared during school: the class cookout, the DC trip, and even just watching football together. After five weeks of being around her, I couldn’t wait any longer. On September 20, 2024, I asked her to be my girlfriend—and she said yes. After graduation, we faced the challenge of long distance. Every weekend, I drove 4.5 hours to see her. That added up to 5,670 minutes of driving time and over 12,000 miles—but every mile was worth it. It doesn’t matter if it’s 10 years or 3 months—when you know, you know. I knew then and there that this was the woman I wanted to spend forever with.

I first met CJ 💕 during a month-long military course called Advanced Leader Course. The first time I saw him in person was when we were checking into the hotel. We ran into each other in the hallway and recognized each other, but neither of us could quite remember our names. There was something about him, though, that felt familiar from the start. By chance, our instructor seated us next to each other in class. From then on, CJ started to pop up more and more in my daily routine. He’d ask if I wanted to grab lunch, but I’d usually say no, wanting to focus on the course and save a little money. But as the days went by, we spent more time together without even trying, and it just felt right. We ended up exploring D.C. together, going on dates, and making a lot of memories that will stick with me forever. By the end of the month, we’d gone from being classmates to friends, and eventually something more. Now, here we are—CJ isn’t just my boyfriend anymore, he’s my best friend, my partner, and soon-to-be husband. I feel so lucky that we crossed paths, and I’m excited for everything that’s ahead with him by my side.