September 17, 2010, Natasha had just started high school band when she got "stuck" sitting next to a quiet guy at the football game. It didn't take long for us to be in full conversation. We spent the first weekend texting and quickly falling for one another. On September 20, Jacob asked Natasha to be his girlfriend. Our first date would be Natasha's sister's birthday party. We would then attend every Prom, high school football game, and band competition together. You could catch us at ESHS cheering each other on from the sidelines of races, tennis matches, or soccer games. Or in the band room encouraging one another to practice just so we could spend a little more time together. Jacob's senior year he decided to attend Missouri S&T. The first year was challenging but the four hours wouldn't stop us from falling more in love. We would spend hours on the phone or watching the same movies. Then, Natasha decided to attend Washburn University (just to add a little more miles to our cars). The distance was never our favorite but it always reminded us how special it was when we were together. Whether we were in Topeka attending Alpha Phi events or dancing the night away at Sigma Nu, we were never bored when we were together. The weekends we spent together always made the long drive worth it.

In November 2017, Jacob came to visit for Thanksgiving Break. While Jacob already had the ring in his pocket, Natasha and a few of her sorority sisters were joking about Jacob waiting forever to propose. At that moment, Jacob was awaiting the afternoon when he planned to do it. He knew Natasha's answer would be yes but he just wanted it to be perfect. Jacob convinced Natasha to go on a walk before he headed home. During that walk we went to one of our favorite places on Washburn's campus, the Koi pond. At the Koi pond we loved laughing and seeing all of the magnificent Koi fish. Little did Natasha know, while she was loving the orange fish, Jacob was nervously awaiting for the perfect moment. Actually the first time Jacob got down on one knee by the bridge, Natasha didn't even turn around. The second time was just perfect, pure surprise and excitement. Now a few years later, we are finally ready to tie the knot.