While Quinton and I knew of one another in high school, it wasn't until the summer after I graduated that we ever actually had a conversation. I suppose we owe a big thank you to my sister, Madeline, who invited me to "the guys' house" with her one night in summer of 2013, and that is when I first formally met Quinton. After spending the majority of the summer on Colly Creek, I headed off to Kansas State University for my freshman year of college. Quinton and I found ourselves texting more and more, until finally it was evident feelings started to grow. I was coming back to Topeka every weekend, or he was driving in a blizzard to see me at the dorms. January 25, 2014, Quinton surprised me at the dorms where he asked me to be his girlfriend! It truly started as a friendship for us, and I feel that is what has made our 7 years together so strong, and fun!

In years past, Quinton and I always spent the night before Thanksgiving at the local bar, Bullfrogs, having one too many drinks with literally everyone who grew up in Topeka. In true 2020 fashion, that obviously wasn't going to be happening this year. Instead, Quinton's mom planned a family game night with pizza. After kicking Quinton's butt in pretty much every game, Pictionary was next on the agenda. If you know me, you know that losing is not something I take well, so I was pretty concentrated on the game. A new round was starting and Quinton told me it was my turn. "No, not yet, I'm next round." Apparently that was the wrong answer, because it was followed by "Emma Claire Ginder, can you please stand up?". I stood up, only to see Quinton down on one knee with Dotty (our precious pup!) sitting next to him with a ring tied around her neck. Safe to say, this night was way better than any night we spent at Bullfrogs!