A Life Changing Summer

The summer of 2013 had many great moments. Prince George was born, Lady Gaga released a song after a break from the spotlight, and I prepared for my transition into high school. I was eager to have a fresh start and celebrate finishing middle school. I was impatiently awaiting a school trip to several European cities that I was going on with two of my closest friends.

Little did I know this trip was going to change my life.

On the trip, I had a blast. I was meeting new people from my town, strengthening friendships, and experiencing some of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.

To give a little background on the trip, it consisted of about 30 people from Walla Walla, Washington. There were adult chaperones, high school, and middle school students. We went to 4 countries over a week and a half. Coming into the trip, I only knew the younger half of the students who were within a grade level of me.

I got to know some of the older high school students throughout the trip. They were all very nice, but I didn’t think any of them would want to stay in touch after the trip was over.

The rest of my summer was busy. I was diving headfirst into volleyball camps and practices for my high school. I was so focused on getting ready to start 9th grade that it wasn’t until I was hanging out with my friends I had gone to Europe with that they informed me of how I had caught the interest of someone who had been on the trip with us.

Without realizing I had been ignoring several Snapchat and Facebook messages from a boy named Jordon. He wanted to stay in touch with me after the trip and I had been too preoccupied to even notice!

Fast forward to 2020 and Jordon and I have just signed up to be chaperones on a trip in 2022 being put on by the same company as the one we met on. We have been together for 7 years and are engaged to be married next summer.

This whole experience feels very “full circle” for me. We have been through so much since first meeting each other. There have been several graduations, holidays, and other major life events that we have gotten to experience together. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with Jordon and cannot wait to go on another school trip with him almost 10 years later.