We met for the first time in fourth grade. I was new that year and we were both in the same homeroom. Parker doesn't remember much from that year, but I remember thinking he was really funny. Sixth and seventh grade was when our friendship really blossomed. We played together at recess every day. We were both really competitive and creative, so we had plenty of invented games to keep us entertained.

Eighth grade was when things shifted. We were both in a state-wide competition called Future City, and Parker was the one who set up the group chat for our team. Since he was the "administrator," each of us also automatically had a private chat with just him. Our messaging turned into a daily routine. Then, Parker sent over something written in code. When I asked about it, he downplayed it, suggesting I shouldn't overthink it. Curiosity got the better of me, and after some effort, I deciphered the message: "I like you." It dawned on me that I felt the same way, so I responded with my own coded message. Parker figured it out quickly. Not too long after, he upped the ante with another message saying "I love you" in a new code. I realized my feelings matched his, and I replied in kind. The day we first exchanged those words, even in code, was September 22nd, 2018, marking a special moment in our relationship. It was so exciting, we got to spend time together thanks to Future City and school. We'd steal things from each other and chase each other down the halls, and write notes to each other that we'd pretend we didn't want the other to see. Unfortunately, I thought that dating in school was silly because it never lasted. I learned the hard way that there are exceptions to that rule. So we went through a year and a half of not "dating" but saying I love you to each other and being there for each other in the way that a couple is, just without the title.

On April 7th, 2020, I finally gave in and we became an official couple. That's why we say our anniversary is April 7th, but when people ask how long we've been together, we count from 2018. That was towards the end of ninth grade, when COVID hit. That spring, we biked to go see each other all the time. We'd meet up in the grove next to the school or wildcat cove in Spicer or the bridge off of the bike trail, and we'd sit or bike together for hours. Parker also had a Zoom subscription and if we couldn't meet up in person we'd sit on a zoom call together for hours. In tenth grade it was more of the same, and later in the year I got an open class slot because I was taking a PSEO class, and we would sometimes spend that time together. There was also about five minutes between two class periods when we would walk really slowly together through the hall to savor as much time as possible together before we had to part ways.

In eleventh and twelfth grade, we were both doing PSEO full time. I was mostly in person at Ridgewater and Parker was mostly online, so our paths didn't cross much. There was one semester when we took a chemistry class together, and we sat together in class, and took notes for each other if one of us had to miss it, generally looking out for each other. After that there was even less seeing each other, but sometimes when Parker wasn't at the school working, I would stop at his house on my way to or from class. We never got to see each other enough.

All that changed on May 8th, 2023, when I moved into an apartment with Parker, and we finally get to see each other almost as much as we want. In December of 2023, I accompanied Parker and his family on a trip to Florida.

In the morning of December 21st, 2023, Parker and I went out on a boat ride that I thought was so we could go fishing. Parker even set up a go-pro at the top of the boat the day before so that he could record all the fish we caught. After boating along on the ocean for a while, we started coming up to a bridge that we were both excited to cross under, so Parker stopped the boat to draw out the moment. Just then, we saw a pod of dolphins surfacing for air. Parker grabbed his other go-pro and recorded some footage of them before telling me to watch them and keep track of where they were while he grabbed his phone to take some more pictures of them. I watched them carefully as they surfaced again much farther away on the left side of the boat. After a few moments, I noticed that Parker had not yet reappeared with his phone to take pictures, so I turned around to see what was taking him so long. To my astonishment, I found him on one knee with a small black box in his hand. He asked if I would marry him while opening the box, exposing the ring inside. I hadn't believed it was real until that moment. I became very dizzy and I put my hands on my knees to make sure I didn't faint. I shuffled toward him, took the ring out of the box, and flung myself into his arms, only barely remembering to say YES!

With all my love and memories,

Lydia