We first met 8 years ago, when I was a YoungLife kid and Lane was one of my YoungLife leaders. Immediately, we connected, always laughing together and joking around with one another any chance we got. Lane had such a great energy about him which I admired deeply, and I will admit, I had a small crush on him. Lane, on the other hand, thought I was too young and was encouraging the other YoungLife kids to pursue me instead! In the summer of 2016, Lane and I went our separate ways (literally). Lane went to New Zealand for 2 years to work and explore, and I went to the University of Wyoming to get a degree. During those 2 years, we completely forgot that the other even existed! Flash forward, Lane returned from New Zealand while I was still at UW. Some mutual friends invited us both over, and we immediately picked up right where we left off years before. From there, Lane realized he wanted to start pursuing me, and so that summer of 2018 we were connected at the hip. I went to Europe for a month with my mom, but Lane and I kept in constant contact through WhatsApp (completely disregarding the hefty phone bill that was sure to come). Once I got back, Lane had planned a picnic in the park and officially asked me to be his girlfriend. Of course, I said yes! Soon after we started dating, Lane left for Boise Idaho where he attended (and graduated) line school. During that time, my mom's cancer got significantly worse and she passed away October of 2018. Being in a fairly new relationship, it threw us for a whirlwind, and tested our relationship in ways we weren't expecting to be tested, especially so soon. With lots of support and LOTS of grace, it made our bond together significantly stronger and made us appreciate and understand one another a lot more. Lane asked me to marry him in September of 2020 at one of our favorite hiking spots, on the day of the first snow storm that fall (which made for beautiful pictures), and of course again, I said yes!