We first met in the fourth grade when Tess started at Grymes Memorial School. Struggling to learn our geography, we hardly spoke to each other. By middle school, we had become friends but it was obvious, we were NOT meant to be...

After Spencer moved from Rapidan to Orange in 2013, the summer before Sophomore year of high school, he and Tess reconnected. Dazzled by his impeccable roller skating talents, Tess became captivated. Little did she know, Spencer had been waiting for this moment for years.

Hanging out evolved into pretending to be a bad kisser and needing some practice. Soon we found ourselves at the Madison County homecoming, barefoot dancing to some song called "What Did the Fox Say".

It wasn't soon after that we made our deceleration official and began dating December of 2013. Together, we squeezed Orange for every ounce of teenage entertainment our town could offer. We soon found the type of love that can only be discovered as high school sweethearts at 16.

Months turned to years, it became apparent that we were truly connected. This was more than just a relationship. Between phone calls every night that lasted until 3am and pushing the boundaries of Woodberry Forest's visitation limits... We couldn't bare to be apart.

As we awaited our college acceptances, we soon realized we were looking down different paths. Unable to image our lives apart, we broke up before the end of our Senior year. Maybe somehow, we knew it wouldn't be the end.

Throughout our years at JMU and VT, we kept in touch, particularly at Thanksgiving... We had convinced ourselves that it couldn't work, that it wouldn't be the same. But, by our Senior year, in the fall of 2019, we realized we had been wrong.

Met in forth grade

high school sweet hearts

in college we found that we already had the best

building our life together