We first met in high school geometry class. Scott affectionately refers to my corner of the classroom as the "black hole of stupidity", but he can't deny that I caught his eye (for better or for worse)! To me, Scott was the quiet, nerdy French horn player who sat behind me in band. To Scott, I was cute, annoying girl who distracted him in class. Maybe not love at first sight, but it developed into something even better. Many math classes and band rehearsals later, our friendship grew into romance. Our first "date" consisted of under-ripe peaches, giant tubs of ice cream, and Scott pushing me around the grocery store in a shopping cart. Our time together was spent watching Studio Ghibli films, dancing in the moonlight, and stargazing by the lake. Nine years of distance, two moves, and one puppy later, we are so excited to take this next step together! We have grown and matured together, been there for each other through countless life events, and continue to love and support each other every day. We can't wait to eat, drink, and be married!

After nine years together, I wanted to make our proposal special and memorable. I took Natalie and Jessie on a walk along the river to see the Christmas lights. I sat Natalie on a park bench in a field of giant light-up poinsettias and handed her a letter from Jessie. Jessie wrote about how she was the most loving, kindest, best dog-mom in the whole world and how much we loved her. After Natalie finished reading, I took a knee and ask her to marry me. Cheered on by Jessie, with a big smile and teary eyes, Natalie said yes!