It all started back in high school—Swirls in Parker, Colorado to be exact. Emma was a freshman, Josh a sophomore, and fate just so happened to swirl them into the same friend group. From day one, we swore to everyone (and maybe even to ourselves) that we were just friends. Spoiler alert: no one believed us.

We laughed, grew up, and made countless memories together through those high school years. But it wasn’t until after freshman year of college that something shifted. Somewhere between summer nights and catching up over coffee, friendship quietly turned into something more.

On June 26, 2021, Josh officially asked Emma to be his girlfriend. It was sweet, it was simple, and it marked the beginning of something incredibly special.

For the next three years, we did long distance—Emma chasing her dreams of dance and teaching in Pittsburgh at Point Park University, and Josh diving into engineering in Laramie at the University of Wyoming. It wasn’t always easy, but every call, letter, visit, and countdown made our relationship stronger.

In the summer of 2024, we finally moved back home to Colorado—and just like that, everything started falling into place. We got to travel the world together with our families, exploring beautiful places like Italy, the Bahamas, Yellowstone National Park, Greece, and Malta. Josh began his career as a structural engineer, and Emma stepped into her dream jobs as an elementary school teacher and dance instructor.

Then came the proposal.

On April 6, 2025, Emma had just finished a dance audition when Josh suggested grabbing food from In-N-Out. While waiting in the drive-thru line, Emma casually (and unknowingly) asked Josh if he had the ring yet and when he planned on proposing. Josh, of course, lied and said, “Nope.”

That one little question sparked a dangerous thought in Josh’s head: “What if I just did it tonight?”

He suggested watching the sunset, to which Emma replied, “Nah.” (Classic.) But thankfully, the movie they started at home was a snooze, and she changed her mind.

After driving around looking for the perfect spot, we ended up in Castle Pines, Colorado. With the sky glowing behind us, Josh turned Emma around from the sunset and dropped to one knee. And right there, on a quiet hill in our home state, we promised forever.