In 2002 my family moved to Washingtonville, New York from New York City. Valerie and I met in first grade and knew each other as classmates until high school, where we became better friends. After a few times hiking and some trips to the beach, our affection for each other grew. Following high school, I left for the Air Force and spent two years in Japan while Valerie went to college in Binghamton, New York. In the summer of 2016 while I was home on leave, we ran into each other while out shopping one day and reconnected. We knew we had just a few weeks together before I had to leave again for North Dakota. Days before leaving, we took an evening drive to an overlook of Manhattan. It was on that date where we decided we wanted to give long distance a try. It didn't stay long distance for very long. By New Years Day 2018, Valerie had moved out so we could live together. In her own words, she would only move to North Dakota for true love.

It was Christmas time 2022, and we were up in New York to spend time with our families. Valerie and I took a trip to Manhattan, under the guise of running errands for my mom. On our way back home, I offered for us to stop by that same overlook to take a moment. While sitting on the same rock where our relationship started, I got on my knees and asked Valerie the most important and meaningful question I could. I asked her to spend the rest of our lives together.