Soon to be Mr. and Mrs.

It was family reunion day at camp, an event where the youth group you came with would come together and talk about the experiences so far at camp. I, (Daisy) was sitting with my friends at one of the benches at the snack shop, and Andrew approached us, asking to hang out with my friend group. It was that simple. We spent the last few days of camp hanging out, walking to the church services together and such. Andrew lived in South Carolina, and I lived in North Carolina. We lived 300 miles apart. At the end of camp, we exchanged contact information and continued chatting for the next year or so through texts and the occasional video call. Seeing that we were young, we ended up losing touch for two years or so. Then, on a random February day in 2022, we regained our connection through social media. We talked all night, catching up about what we had been up to during our loss of communication. Three months flew by, and in May, Andrew and his mother were able to make the trip from South Carolina to Tennessee where I now lived. For the first time in four years, we were finally able to see each other face to face. The feeling was surreal. After that we started dating, and for the next two years Andrew continued to make the journey every couple of months from South Carolina to Tennessee. As time passed, mentions of marriage were thrown around, but Andrew always swore he would propose as soon as I turned 18. The long distance was difficult, but the stretch of miles is what kept us together, making each visit more precious than the last. On my 18th birthday, August 14, 2023, Andrew was in Tennessee for a visit and told me that he wanted to hike a trail at a nearby state park. After walking on the gorgeous trails for a bit, we stopped at a beautiful overlook of the Nolichucky River. Andrew paused, setting his phone on the ground. After hitting record, he got down on one knee and proposed. Andrew kept his years-long promise.