When I first met Ryan in our freshman year Spanish class, I instantly had a crush. Being the anti-girl, fifteen-year-old that he was, he played hard to get initially--he also didn't believe I liked him! After helping him make a cake to ask another girl to Homecoming during our freshman year--and with some gentle prodding from his friends--he finally asked me on a date. After that, we spent all of high school together (when Ryan wasn't grounded) at football games, gymnastics meets, dances, and after-school hangouts. When the time came to go to college, we made the difficult decision of choosing schools that were 11 hours from each other. Fours years of long distance were spent traveling between University of Arkansas and University of Tennessee. We made a concerted effort to rendezvous each month in Memphis. Through the distance, we learned to grow in our communication, trust, and independence. Following a year of grad school, and sporadically being in the same place, we finally ended long distance permanently, and moved to Franklin, TN. 9 years, 6 months, and 11 days from our first date (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire), Ryan proposed to me at the Memphis Brooks Museum, while playing our favorite song from the La La Land soundtrack. We are so grateful for everyone who has been a part of the last nearly 10 years, and we cannot wait to celebrate the start of our marriage with you!