Cassie and I first met in the summer of 2017 while working together at the Lemont Park District pool. I was heading into my senior year of high school, and Cassie had just finished her freshman year of college. Even though we didn’t know each other very well at first, we somehow ended up co-running the local swim team together — and that’s when our friendship really began. A few years later, in the middle of COVID, we reconnected during my sophomore year and Cassie’s senior year of college. What started as long phone calls quickly turned into talking for hours every single day. When I unexpectedly had to come home from school after a close friend tested positive for COVID, Cassie and I decided to finally spend time together in person (after I tested negative, of course!). Since everything was shut down, we couldn’t exactly have a traditional first date, so instead we got takeout sushi, watched movies, and cooked dinner together. Almost six years later, we’ve built a beautiful life together and recently bought our first home. In June of last year, I proposed while we were doing one of our favorite things together: camping. Cassie said “yes,” and ever since then we’ve been so excited to celebrate this next chapter with all of you!