We met somewhere along the way in middle school. Whether it was the Blue Hills pool, walking around Town Center, or the “Hill” at a Rockhurst football game, neither of us can remember the exact moment we first crossed paths. However, on June 19, 2011, John created a Facebook profile and sent Natalie a friend request, so she posted on his timeline, “Hey Johnny boy.” We started high school that fall at Rockhurst and Sion, and gradually became friends. In October 2012, John decided to make his move for Sion’s Winter Formal after hearing Natalie hadn’t asked anyone yet. He brought cans for her Student Council Food Drive, started texting and Snapchatting her daily, and changed his Facebook picture to one with her to seal the deal. His efforts paid off when she asked him to be her date. After months of “talking”, Cold Stone runs, and hanging out, Natalie told John to ask her to be his girlfriend, so he did. We were your typical high school sweethearts, sharing memories from Homecoming and Prom to Spring Break trips to Gulf Shores and Playa. After graduation, even though we were both headed to Mizzou, we decided to part ways when Natalie left for sorority recruitment, thinking we’d still be “best friends.” While very mature of us, we were oh-so-naive to think we could move back to the friend zone within a week. It took some time to adjust, but to this day, we always say it was one of the best decisions we’ve made, and we couldn’t be happier that we took that time to grow as individuals and do our own thing. Over the years, we kept tabs on each other, with Natalie returning to Kansas City after college and John moving to St. Louis. Fast forward to June 2020: we reconnected at a friend's housewarming party over a game of Stack Cup, and the spark reignited. It wasn’t long before we started making the drive down I-70 and alternating weekends to see each other, and after a quick five-year break, long-distance wasn’t that bad! We got engaged on September 14, 2024, and are so excited for this next chapter. We can’t wait to celebrate our love with all of you who have been there every step of the way.