We're getting married!

**How We Met** Frazee Elementary. Mrs. Jacobson’s 5th grade class. Was it love at first sight? Well… not exactly. But we’d be lying if we said there wasn’t a little bit of a crush. **Sapphire remembers:** Rij was cute, competitive, and absolutely hilarious. I did my best to keep up with him—especially in gym class (which, honestly, feels hard to believe now!). That was the days of the mile run: Rij finished first for the boys, and I was *so* close to being the first girl… but just missed it. Pretty sure that was also the last time I enjoyed running. I also remember our gym teacher using us as examples for how to climb the rock wall. Silly, maybe—but I was proud I could keep up with the cute little guy. I wasn’t at Frazee long, but that class was something special. Before I moved away, they threw me a going-away celebration. One of the gifts was a big blue poster board signed by everyone. The most noticeable signature? “RIJ” in big block letters, with a message: *“You’re awesome Sapphire! And cool!”* …plus his phone number underneath. ❤️ **Rij remembers:** A new girl in school—with a really cool name. She was cute, funny, and easy to talk to. We were the only two in class who stayed behind during Wednesday church release time, which meant I got plenty of one-on-one time to flirt. But I like to play the long game… so I made her wait about twenty years before finally making my move. **What Happened Next** Life took us in different directions after 5th grade. New schools, new experiences, and a lot of growing up. But somehow, after all those years, we found our way back to each other. What started as a simple reconnection quickly felt familiar—like no time had passed at all. The same humor, the same spark… just a little older and (maybe) a little wiser. This time, the timing was right. What began as childhood crushes turned into something real, steady, and lasting. Turns out, the long game paid off. **And now, we can’t wait to write the next chapter together.**