We originally met through Stuart’s sister, Sarah. She and I were friends in middle school to midway through high school. I secretly had a crush on him for years but refrained from acting on it because I wanted to ensure that Sarah knew I was first and foremost her friend. Stuart and I started dating just before their family chose to move back to their home state of Washington. Soon after the move, Stuart went to basic training. With so much distance and me still in high school, we decided to go our separate ways. It was in December of 2019 that I posted some pictures from middle school and tagged Sarah in one of her whole family. Seeing this picture, Stuart IM-ed me asking how I acquired this picture which led to us catching up and a spark getting relit between us. We spent New Year’s together which led to a relationship that has changed our perspectives on love and communication as well as gave us a sense of peace which we never knew before. Earlier this year during Spring Break, we traveled to Hawai’i to celebrate their parent’s 50th anniversary with his sisters and their families. The Monday after Easter, he surprised me with a proposal on the beach after snorkeling with sea turtles. His family knew and were prepared with their phones on video to catch it all. As if vacationing in Hawai’i wasn’t amazing enough, the surprise proposal made it even more wonderful and memorable.