His Story: We both were hired at the same school and to this day she insists that I took her job. I was hired for 2nd Grade (which I was excellent at!), and she got hired for Kindergarten. We then promptly did not speak to each other for an entire year. Then, after being coerced into teaching summer school, I realized in the middle of a meeting that I had no idea what I was doing. Looking around, I noticed that there was someone else who also looked out of her depths. We both seemed to have the same idea at the same time. To this day I will forever be grateful to that principal for not letting me weasel out of teaching summer school. I met Heather and we instantly seemed to click. She was kinda quirky, but in a fun way! We very quickly realized that we had a lot in common, and we very quickly became friends. I met her daughter Rey, who was adorable and couldn't pronounce anything correctly (including my name, forever will I be called Fwistan now.) We then spent the next 4 months being ONLY friends because I didn't get a single hint that Heather sent my way. Then, after finally realizing that I had feelings for her, I asked Heather to be my girlfriend in the most romantic way possible. I sent her a text. I then spent the next few years getting to know Heather and Rey better, and slowly becoming a part of their lives as they became part of mine. I remember playing in the snow, going on massive three week trips across the country together, and more. I knew I loved Heather, but it was only after she laughed off our tent collapsing on us because of a tornado and being flung into a cornfield that I realized she was the one for me. I knew that I never wanted to spend another day where I didn't spend time with her and Rey. So of course it took me another 5 months to work up the courage to move in with them, and another 4 to propose. Heather may still be a little mad about that, but she also did say yes! Her Story: We both applied to John Wayland Elementary School for a posted 2nd grade position. Despite being the most qualified candidate with extensive teaching experience, they chose to offer the job to Tristan and offered me an alternative position teaching Kindergarten. Of course it was the perfect opportunity for both of us so we accepted and became Jaguars together. COVID rules would, of course, have me teaching the tiniest of humans how to “do school” while wearing a mask. Tristan, however, taught virtually. Thus, we never saw each other or knew of the other person's existence. Fast forward to the end of the school year and we both volunteered to teach summer school. In our first meeting, we decided to collaborate since we were both unfamiliar with the grade level we were assigned. In that first collaboration time together I learned just how gentle, kind, accepting, and supportive he was. He didn’t even make fun of my struggling math skills when we were creating a schedule! Heading back into the school year, we didn’t have much contact. A couple of weeks into school, Tristan came down to my classroom to see how my year was going and I broke into tears. It was a tough year and I felt at a loss in my own classroom. He sat and listened and we spent the next couple of months getting to know each other as friends and eventually as a couple. I got to watch him play hide and seek with Rey, take her for rides on his OneWheel, pick her up and give big hugs when she was sad, take her for the famous “McDonald’s dates”, and rub her back as she fell asleep when I said I just needed a break for the night. We experienced time as a family through trips to VA Beach, a trip to Illinois and Wisconsin for a Norton Family Campout and spending a week at the Great Wolf Lodge. Best of all, I learned that Tristan always puts his family first. He finally proposed TO REY FIRST at the Lydia Mountain Lodge in March of 2024. We both said yes and not even five minutes later, a wedding was being planned. …And that’s our story!