In 2013, Nathan moved to Arroyo Grande and became the new kid at Zoe’s middle school. That’s where they first met. They also saw each other at youth group and other activities outside of school, so their paths crossed often. They didn’t talk much at the time, but they definitely knew who the other was. It was the very beginning of a story neither of them realized they were part of yet.

By 2018, Zoe and Nathan started spending more time together through mutual friend groups. What began as casual hangouts slowly turned into a really solid friendship. Nathan even asked Zoe to go to senior prom with him. During that time, Zoe saw just how kind and thoughtful he was, he was genuinely one of the sweetest people she had ever met. Eventually Nathan told Zoe that he liked her, but Zoe didn’t quite know how to handle the feelings she had back then. Instead of complicating things, they decided it was better to stay friends.

After high school, they both ended up at California State University, Chico. Even though they went to the same college, they mostly went their separate ways, making new friends, figuring out life, and doing their own thing. Still, they stayed in contact here and there.

One night in 2021, Zoe randomly ran into Nathan at a house party. Seeing him again felt different this time. Whatever it was, something clicked. After that night, Nathan stayed on her mind in a way he never had before.

In 2022, Zoe sent Nathan the classic “Happy Birthday” text, and they started talking again for a bit. Then on the Fourth of July, Zoe finally admitted that she liked him. Nathan’s response? He ghosted her. Oh how the tables turned!

The night before Thanksgiving, Zoe went out to a bar with a friend and unexpectedly ran into Nathan. They ended up spending the whole night together catching up and talking like no time had passed. But soon after, Nathan went back to Texas, and Zoe didn’t hear from him for a full WEEK. When he finally texted her, she of course was so excited!

Later that year, Zoe and Nathan took a “friends” trip down to Los Angeles. They visited Nathan’s new job site and stopped by Zoe’s nursing school. Somewhere during that trip, everything changed. They had their first kiss and after that, it was pretty impossible to ignore the connection that had been there since high school.

On March 24, 2024, Nathan asked Zoe to be his girlfriend. From that moment on, they got to fall more and more in love with each other every day.

To celebrate their anniversary, Nathan planned a winery date. He also booked a winery tour as a Christmas gift, so they spent the day walking through the cellar and learning about how the wine was made. Zoe was loving the tour while Nathan was a little more quite than normal. At the end of the tour, they walked up to the top of a beautiful grassy hill overlooking the vineyard, where the tour guide mentioned he had "forgotten the bottle of wine" and would be right back. While enjoying the gorgeous view, that’s where Nathan got down on one knee and asked Zoe to marry him. Nathan also planned both of our families to meet us at the winery where we got to celebrate such an amazing moment. It was the most surreal, happiest moment of Zoe’s life, and the start of their next chapter together.