John and I met when we were 16 and 17 years old at a local coffee shop named "Almost Heaven Desserts" in Bridgeport. It was super casual, some of our mutual friends were meeting up and invited us both to tag along. We all hit things off pretty immediately and started hanging out as a friend group over the next few months. It wasn’t until a few years later that things started to turn into something more. In September of 2020, when the world was turned upside down, we both left for college. With everything closed and no places to go, our first "date" consisted of driving around the Chick-fil-A drive-thru and just talking about how strange life had become. Despite the distance, we decided to make it work. Every weekend, we’d drive two hours to see each other. Whether it was sorority date parties, track meets, or birthday celebrations, we were always there, together. In May of this year, when we graduated, we decided to move into our first apartment. On September 13, 2024, John took me to my mom and I's favorite camping spot at Audra State Park. That night, at sunset, out on the rocks, he asked me to be his wife. It was so perfect and exciting that we couldn’t wait to share the news with everyone, so we left our tent behind, and drove all the way home to tell our families!! Now, just a year later, we are making it official on the same date!