The Best Day of Our Lives 09.28.24

Josh and I have technically “known” each other since my first year in marching band in 2014, but we also went to the same elementary school. I knew Josh during high school, but I don’t think we had many conversations with each other because we did not share the same circle of friends. However, I did know that Josh was super smart (now I call him genius) and that he was cute. I honestly didn’t think we would ever be friends (much less be getting married), but sometimes life hides your soulmate in plain sight. Throughout Josh’s college years we had still never talked, maybe a few likes on social media here and there, but that was as far as our relationship had gotten. It wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that I knew Josh had gone to Virginia Tech to become a teacher. My sister received her sophomore year class schedule, and my mom asked me if Josh Doss was a teacher since someone on her list had that name. I remember shrugging it off and telling her I did not know because at the time I didn’t. Over the course of the fall semester, my mom kept bringing up Josh in situations like, “Josh might be single,” which she said as Josh walked across the field one night at a Friday night football game. These types of conversations continued with my mom for about 2-3 months. Around the end of November, I decided to just message Josh. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I’m pretty sure I made a comment about the fact he was a teacher now. I didn’t honestly think he would respond to me, but we pretty much hit it off right away. Within a few weeks of our first conversation, we went out on several dates. I remember our very first date: Josh had made such a strong first impression when he opened the car door for me, told me I looked gorgeous, then took me to dinner and to see Christmas lights (one of my favorite things to do). It’s funny because I remember telling my mom how worried I was we wouldn’t have anything in common, but we went out on many more dates such as dinners, movies, and Josh making me dinner because he’s a great cook. Since then, we’ve pretty much become inseparable (we’re literally always together). On June 16th, 2023, Josh proposed during a photo-session that I had won a few months back, and I said yes to forever with him!

Caitlin and I have known each other ever since high school, where we were in the marching band together. During high school, we never really talked for whatever reason, but I always thought she was really beautiful. I graduated and went off to college, learning how to teach math at Virginia Tech, not having any idea that my career choice would peculiarly lead me to a date with my now fiancée. When I graduated from VT, I returned back to Martinsville to teach. I started my job at my old stomping grounds, now becoming coworkers with all of the teachers I had once learned under as a high school student. Anyone who works in education can tell you that the first several years are the hardest, and my experience was no different. Learning the ropes, planning multiple different courses, and managing all the small things that come with teaching is a herculean task. On top of this all, teaching in your hometown is so strange because you know so many of your students or their families. One of my students in this first year of teaching was Kenzie, our maid of honor and Caitlin's sister. About a week into the school year, Caitlin added me on Snapchat, so I assumed Kenzie must have told her that one of her old high school friends was her new math teacher. I added her back and we began to talk pretty frequently. I asked her on a date, and we struck it off quickly. Our first date went so well that we scheduled a second date before the end of the night, but I ended up asking if we could hang out before that because being with her had made me so happy. In that first year of teaching (and all the time since), no matter how dark or stressful something seemed, Caitlin was always there. She was my calm in the storm, a beautiful respite from all the worries and little things that I dealt with on a day to day basis. I wanted to spend every minute with her I could, so I knew very quickly that she was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I started looking at rings and knew exactly which one I wanted, but no one seemed to have a combination of all the different features that I knew she would love. I had her ring custom made because I just couldn't picture any other ring in my head than the one I had in mind. Then came waiting for the perfect time to "pop the question." I knew she would want pictures of the engagement, so I asked the photographer who she had recently won a session giveaway with if I could make that session just a little more eventful. I ask a lot of questions everyday (my students would certainly agree), but no question will ever be more important than the one I asked in a field in Woolwine, and the one word answer I got back made me the happiest man on Earth.