We met in the 6th grade at Summit Middle School, we'd love to say that it was love at first sight but Zach was rumpled and dishelved. In due time he wore her down and eventually Maddison couldn't resist the dimples on that 12 year old baby face. We were the first significant others in each of our lives, and after a summer of non-communication (Maddison was scared that her Dad would find out they were dating so Zach wasn't allowed to call) Maddison's friend Sara Hoppe broke things off between the two. Zach was crushed, beaten, bloody, but he would not be deterred. He knew that she was one special girl. So he hatched a plan. He kept his distance through high school and let her fly free and grow her wings. Then he decided he needed a get, something she couldn't refuse. So he joined the Army, because, who doesn't love a man in Uniform? After basic training they texted from the time it took the Barley's to drive from Fort Benning, GA to Fort Wayne, IN. Then Zach went to his duty station in Fort Drum, NY. This is when his real plan started, they would skype whenever they had the chance and Zach would say cheesy lines like "I'm pretty envious of your knee right now," (I know, I can't believe it worked either) When Zach came home for Christmas that year, they hung out for the first time. Zach nervously asked if she wanted to go Steady, she said yes. A couple days later Zach was at a new years party back on Fort Drum, the clock was ticking down to midnight, yet he and Maddison stayed on the phone together like a couple of fools in love. He decided right then that this was the woman he wanted to marry. It wasn't anything she said or did, it was just her being herself. She is honestly the most wonderful woman I have ever met and I don't want to spend another day not being married to her. She is my heart and soul and I would give her the world.