We met when I was sitting at a cash register at my grandparents' store. Our families, on my dad's side and his mom's side, grew up in the neighborhood of Cascade together, so it seems we were destined to be together. I was in middle school and would visit my grandparents on weekends. When we met, we never spoke; he would come to the register with his items, and I would ring him up. However, we used to send messages through mutual friends, like Tell your brother I said hi or Where's Lil Derrick? I wrote my number down on a brown paper bag and gave it to him when he came into the store. Of course, my grandmother didn’t want me talking to boys, especially those who seemed rough around the edges.

So Him and I used to meet in the back drink aisle, coming from opposite directions, and hug. Every Friday, my grandparents would pick me up, and I would turn my entire face to the window while it was down, because when we drove by his apartment on the Main Street, I wanted him to see me. We would lock eyes as I passed by in the car, and next thing I knew, he would be coming into the store. Those were fun times. He likes to say that I called him and broke up with him; we stopped talking and started living separate lives, but we would still see each other through passing events.

In 2012, he followed me on Twitter, and I messaged him with something like Hi. He instantly sent his number, and we have been inseparable ever since. I absolutely love the man I am marrying. We are not perfect and don’t pretend to be, but we have a common goal: to always communicate with each other, to be respectful, and to keep God at the center of our lives and marriage. I’ve waited my whole life for someone to ask me to marry them, but I never thought it would be my soulmate.