It all started on the very first day of the second semester. I was a sophmore, and Tucker was a senior. My friend and I walked into our last class of the day—Art. We had just sat down when someone hobbled in on crutches. I remember feeling a little bad for him as he made his way across the room. He didn’t really know anyone in the class except my friend, so he came and sat down right next to her. From the very beginning, our conversations flowed so easily. There was never an awkward pause, just a natural connection that felt meant to be. As the days passed, we grew closer and closer. Our friends in class used to joke about us getting married someday or finding our way back to each other after high school. Little did we know, they were onto something. When the end of the semester came, the seniors got out early. I worried that might be the end of the friendship we’d built. School felt a little lonelier without him. But God had other plans. Weeks later, I tagged along with my coworker Allie to meet up with a guy at the fair. We walked over to the mechanical bull where his friends were hanging out—and there he was. Tucker. From that moment, it was like no time had passed. We talked and laughed like we’d known each other our whole lives. From then on, we were pretty much inseparable. On December 15, 2022, we officially started dating, and our journey together truly began. Fast forward almost three years. To celebrate my 20th birthday, Tucker planned a surprise weekend getaway to his favorite place—Fall Creek Falls. We arrived Friday and stayed through Sunday. On Saturday, October 11, 2025, he told me to get dressed up for a fancy dinner. We got ready a little too early, so he took me to an overlook in the park. (I definitely felt a little silly in a dress and heels while everyone else was in hiking clothes!) Then we stopped to grab some waters and take them to the room, but instead of heading to the restaurant, Tucker led me outside toward the dock. When we walked out the back doors of the lodge, I noticed a pretty setup down by the dock. I remember saying, “Someone must be having a little shindig tonight.” But as we walked closer, I recognized a picture of us holding hands and said, “Thems my hands!” in the most classic silly-me way. When we reached the dock, I saw that Tucker’s mom and aunt had set up something beautiful and perfect. Tucker turned to me, we faced each other, and then he got down on one knee. I started crying and nodding before he could even get the words out. Then the “photographer” revealed herself—it was his aunt in disguise, capturing the entire moment. God crossed our paths once, and in His perfect timing, He crossed them again. What started as two kids sitting in an art class turned into a love story only He could have written.