The first time I saw Matthew was at the Stillwater dog park in January 2021. I remember thinking he was very cute—and maybe my stepsister was right when she said you could meet cute guys at the dog park. I started going more often, gradually striking up conversations with Matthew and the group of friends he always hung out with. Every time I pulled into the parking lot, I’d look for his car or see if his dog, Sawyer, was running around. By the end of February, we were talking more, spending hours on the park benches chatting about nothing and everything. The first time we hung out outside the dog park was when I invited Matthew to Life Church. I had checked the worship set list beforehand and saw that my favorite song was going to be played—so I figured it was the perfect excuse to invite him. After church, we sat in my car, and The Other Side from The Greatest Showman came on. I told him how my roommate and I would drive around, singing the parts as if we were the characters in the movie. A few days later, after finishing a two-hour quiz, I needed a break, so we went for a drive around Stillwater. Eventually, we ended up on Highway 51, and I suggested we go to Guthrie. Once there, he drove me past his aunt’s farm, where he had worked a few summers before. After Guthrie, I don’t quite remember where we went next, but somehow, we found ourselves headed toward Tulsa. At some point in the evening, The Other Side played again, and Matthew told me he had spent the entire week memorizing both parts of the song—just so he could sing whichever one I didn’t. It was the most intentional thing a guy had ever done for me. I was awestruck. Honestly, it still gives me butterflies. We kept talking, driving, and talking some more—until we were nearly at the Arkansas border… at 3 a.m. We decided to just go for it. What a cool story it would make. So, we crossed into Arkansas, stopped for gas, and headed back to Stillwater, arriving at 7 a.m. I had work at 10 a.m. Needless to say, I was late. A couple of days later, we had our first official date. We got Chick-fil-A and drove to the top of a parking garage to have dinner with a view. In true Matthew fashion, he kept up his cheesy charm, asking me to dance to oldies songs. I queued up L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole. After dinner, we went bowling. I’m pretty sure I lost, but honestly, I don’t remember—I just know I had an amazing time. Two days later, on March 10th, he asked me to be his girlfriend. I’m pretty sure my response was, “Well, yes, but you couldn’t have waited two more days so our anniversary would be two of my favorite numbers—3/12?” And that’s why our official dating anniversary is 3/12 instead of 3/10. But every year, I still make sure to say, Happy Actual Anniversary on the 10th. That was just the beginning of our story. Since then, we’ve had many successes, hardships, celebrations, and losses, but there’s no one I’d rather walk through life with. Words can’t express how excited I am for our forever. Thank you for being a part of it.