Our love story began when Nizhoni moved to San Carlos, Arizona. She & her older sister went running, and during their run, they passed an old skate park. As Nizhoni glanced at the skatepark, she saw a tall boy with curly hair skating. She instantly asked, "Who's that boy?" and Naelyn answered, "That's Curtis, he's in my grade, but he has a girlfriend." And Nizhoni replied, "Not for long.". As time passed, Nizhoni entered high school, & on her way to class in the science building, she met eyes with single Curtis, & it felt like time stopped. From there, Curtis finally got the courage to talk to Nizhoni while waiting for the bus. After their first interaction, they continued to spend as much time together as possible from mornings before school, to Curtis carrying her backpack & books between classes, & to laughing and talking while getting lunch. Then fall came, & Nizhoni wanted to know if they were going to be boyfriend & girlfriend. Curtis was more than excited to make their relationship concrete. When they shared their first kiss, they both said it felt like fireworks. They had never felt love like this before; their love was unlike any other. Together, they faced many obstacles, but the first major hurdle was when Nizhoni was moving to the city for college. Curtis had made the decision to follow her to the city & get an apartment for them. He was determined to take care of Nizhoni, & now they were two young adults in a big city, growing even closer together. Curtis would buy them bikes to ride down to Tempe Town Lake, visit Zia by their apartment, and create memories in their own home with their two cats. Even when times were tough, when COVID hit & it seemed like the world was falling apart, he knew precisely what to do. That was why he knew Nizhoni wanted to be back with family during this pandemic, & Curtis happily uprooted their lives back to San Carlos. He always said his home is wherever Nizhoni is, as long as we're together. After a few years, he knew it was time to pop the magical question. Curtis would go to his mother, whom he told first of what he wanted to do for his next big step in life. With his parents' support, they gifted him with his late grandmother's ring. Curtis knew this ring was the one for Nizhoni, not only because it resembled her favorite movie saga, but also because it had a deeper meaning that connected her to the Pemberton family. Following this he went to receive blessings from Nizhoni's parents & sisters. When tearing down the camp from Laakos's sunrise dance, Curtis had all the family together at the same time. He took it into his own hands to tell them of his plans, & everyone was overjoyed with tears. Curtis knew he wanted to have Nizhoni's family & his family together when he proposed to Nizhoni. Leading up to the day, Curtis needed everyone to take part in his plan. Nizhoni was told there was a birthday party, unaware that this would be her proposal. As Curtis drove them to the vineyard for the surprise, he assured her that she would forever remember this day. Nizhoni began to suspect something was amiss, not only because of Curtis's nervous hands, but also because a birthday party was not something she would forever remember. When they arrived, Nizhoni could hear romantic music playing, & her cousin stood with roses, ready to lead them to the spot where Curtis would get down on one knee. Their families were lined up on both sides of a beautiful setup with red roses & an arch featuring a light sign that read, "It's always been you." As they walked up to a skateboard that said, "Will you marry me?" Nizhoni's eyes were filled with happy tears as Curtis got on one knee & asked her, "Will you marry me?" Nizhoni smiled & nodded, "Yes!" From there, they kissed, hugged, & celebrated with their ecstatic families. Curtis & Nizhoni are now more than excited for their wedding & the next chapter ahead of them because just as Curtis said as long as they were together they were home.