“IT’S ALWAYS BEEN YOU.”

Even though it may seem like 4 simple words, that quote means a whole lot more to us than anyone could imagine.

Andrew & Camryn met each other 7 years ago while walking the halls of Alter High School on our third day as baby freshmen. She had class with some of his friends from Bishop Leibold, and had quickly fallen under their wing. When all her friends from grade school left to go to different local high schools, she found herself eager to meet people quickly & without hesitation accepted the invite to sit with them in the third floor hallway before school. Andrew was every girls 2014 dream with Justin Bieber hair, his loud and confident personality, and an assortment of shoes… so many that he may have worn a different pair every day that semester. Andrew & Camryn became friends in the blink of an eye, and she always found it fun that he could not only take my sarcasm and making fun of him but also dish it back. Little did he know, Camryn hoped that he’d read the signs that she was flirting like a little school girl chasing a boy around the playground. & even more, Camryn hoped that his reciprocation meant that he may be flirting back too.

Andrew & Camryn continued to build a strong friendship throughout high school, but like with anyone that age, they faced their fair share of drama. It wasn’t until senior year that they really became close in a way that was beyond a typical friendship. Dairy Shed became our spot. Birthdays, breakups, believing they’d fallen in love, or even just a crappy day- if we were hanging out, it was at a wooden table with a peanut butter milkshake and a soft serve cone, talking about everything and nothing at all. Andrew never once let her pay for a $1 ice cream cone, and  Camryn tried to not let her mind (and heart) believe that maybe it was because he shared hidden and unspoken feelings too. During the summer of that senior year, exactly 3 days before they were set to leave for college, Andrew finally decided to kiss her in the front yard of her house after bringing me none other than ice cream from Dairy Shed. Only this time, Camryn was the one who shut him down. With him going to BGSU, and she just down the street to UD, Camryn didn’t think it was realistic for us to jump into a long distance relationship without a strong foundation & wanted to put their friendship first.

Andrew and Camryn had a bit of a falling out over that, but managed to reconnect over Christmas break at a party that Camryn crashed and wasn’t even invited to. When they went home for the summer leading into their sophomore year, they started to hang out more. It wasn’t just Dairy Shed trips anymore. It was hanging out with each other’s families (who they’d both grown to love through high schools). It was 3 hour driving all the way back roads, listening to music, and having no clue where they were. It was our first unofficial date to Cheesecake Factory, where Andrew insisted, he’d pay for her dinner, and it was more expensive than the $1 cone from Dairy Shed. It was Camryn praying that Andrew would make another move but knowing he may not because I’d bruised his ego from the first experience. It was him finally making that move, and months later showing Camryn he’d texted his best friend that night saying, “I either just made the best or worst decision of my life.” It was falling in love with each other in a way that they hadn’t yet experienced. Rather than quiet, harbored, fearful feelings… it was excited, understanding, loud, honest and real.

It would take a book and a half to explain every detail in between then and when they both decided to leave school and try different things. But from that moment on, it wasn’t just a honeymoon phase kind of love, it was unconditional. In February of 2020, Camryn moved out of her parents house. Andrew was still working to save money, and didn’t plan to make the jump with me until September or October. All their plans changed at the beginning of March when they found out that they were expecting. Young, scared and at the beginning of a brewing pandemic, Camryn was a bit of a basket case to put it lightly. Andrew never once shared any doubt that they would be perfectly fine and that we were going to make sure we were the best parents possible to their baby. By the second week of March, Andrew found a home for his Xbox in the apartment and Camryn knew he was home for good too.

Here’s the thing, Andrew and Camryn have always put their friendship above everything else. Does that mean that they frequently make fun of each other? Absolutely. But all the jokes aside, the honesty, communication & general understanding they have together is so much deeper than anything Camryn had ever imagined experiencing because we put that friendship first. As a little girl, all Camryn ever wanted was to find someone that could provide a love that emulated the one my parents shared… a dance in the kitchen, sing while grilling, card playing, affectionate, joking, honest, pure and unconditional type of love. Camryn knew from the moment we danced at a Kenny Chesney concert our first summer officially together that Andrew was my end game. He always has been. He always will be.

It’s always been him.