We first met in the summer of 2011 at a mutual friend’s backyard party. We bonded over a shared love of Star Wars. I remember quickly developing a little crush on Sara and wanting to get to know her more.

Though we went to the same high school, we had no classes together. We mostly saw each other at group hangouts, always floating around the same friend circles. Over the years, we both ended up dating other people, but Sara and I gradually became friends.

After high school graduation, life pulled us in different directions. I moved out to Utah for college. As it often happens, we gradually lost touch. Social media let us keep tabs on each other, but we weren’t really in each other’s lives anymore.

Years later, after finishing college and moving back to Illinois, I started reaching out to old friends, hoping to reconnect, and Sara was among them. She was still smart, funny, and had a personality I found magnetic. Our reunion quickly turned into regular hangouts—grabbing dinner, exploring museums, watching movies, going to the Renaissance Fair, and having regular game nights at my apartment. I loved being around her. Our conversations never got old.

By the time the pandemic hit, we had become best friends. The lockdowns were isolating, but our friendship helped keep me grounded. We’d frequently chat online together and with our circle of friends. At one point, she came to visit and stayed on my couch for two weeks, along with her cat Freyja. We cooked meals together, binge-watched Mr. Robot, and joked around like always. A few months later, Sara and Freyja visited for another week, and these experiences of living together, even temporarily, felt natural and right. I’d been on my own for six years at this point, so sharing my home with my best friend was wonderful.

In 2022, we decided to continue sharing a home by moving into a two-bedroom apartment together. It felt like a fresh chapter for us, and our bond only deepened. We fell in love. What had started as a solid friendship gradually evolved into a partnership built on trust, laughter, and shared dreams. The following year, we bought a house together, and not long after that, I asked her to marry me under the stars after watching the solar eclipse together in April 2024.

Now, in 2025, we’ve built a life full of love, support, and inside jokes that date back more than a decade. We’ve seen each other through every phase—teenagers, young adults, roommates, cat parents, and now, future spouses. It’s been a journey full of twists and turns, but looking back, every step led us here.

We’re so excited for what’s to come, and we’re incredibly grateful to have so many loved ones supporting us as we take this next step. Here’s to a future as beautiful as the story that brought us together.