It was a gloomy morning on Whitworth's campus. Chase had arrived to class well before the 8 am start time. As he sat in the dimly lit room, scrolling through his phone, he was disturbed by a young woman who entered the room. "Are you just going to sit here in the dark?" she asked. "Yep," he replied, before she flicked on the lights. It was in that moment that neither of them could begin to comprehend the journey that would lay before them. It would be 6 months before the two would speak again, but it was the beginning of the lifelong journey you are here to celebrate. Kelsey and I said only two sentences to each other, mine was not even a sentence, but it was the beginning of something I wouldn't trade for anything. We spent the majority of our remaining college years attached at the hip (minus a short break our senior year). We persevered through many struggles and celebrated many highs. Through it all we've grown together, laughed together (a lot), and loved together. This is only the beginning and we are so excited to celebrate that beginning with all of you.

"Its so hot out here, how is your hand so cold and clammy?" I questioned Chase as we meandered through the brush along the cliff edge above Palouse Falls. As Chase and I watched another couple take a picture too close to the edge for my comfort, Chase started to pull on my arm suggesting that we too take a picture. I was anxious about our proximity to the edge and told Chase "No, I am going to get blown off the edge of this cliff," as I started to walk away I was pulled back towards the cliff's edge. I turned to face the new direction I was suddenly being pulled in, only to find Chase down on one knee asking me to marry him! In complete disbelief, a stunned "no" slipped out of my mouth, quickly followed by tears and an enthusiastic "yes!" More tears ensued as I realized the ring on my finger contained the same diamond that my dad proposed to my mom with 26 years earlier. At the same time, I realized that the excitement and specialness of the moment was shared with our moms and Taylor (Chase's younger sister), as they were hiding behind the one bush at Palouse Falls that was big enough to hide three people! I truly have never felt more special and more loved than I did in that moment.