Nik and Katie met on Facebook in 2010 through mutual friends. Katie was a freshman and Nik was a sophmore. They started chatting and at the time Katie thought to herself that Nik was a sweet, funny guy that seemed to be exactly what she was looking for. At a young age they both were already looking for something serious - they were fun but also matured at young ages due to life circumstances and knew what they did and didn't want in life partners. They flirted virtually for a few months until they finally met in person at a friend's quincenera. Being a judgmental teenage girl - as teenager girls tend to be - Nik was not exactly who Katie thought he would be in person, and, being a jerk, she gave him the cold shoulder. He thought they had chemistry over Facebook, so he felt quite dejected once it came to her attitude at their first in person meet. They stopped talking after that, and went their separate ways for a while. The next year Katie joined band at a friend's request, and her and Nik started talking again, as he was also in band and they'd see each other around. This was the year they became "real life" friends. The next year they had a daily music theory class together and became what many considered best friends, and many at their school said they should start dating/made a cute couple. They considered each other friends and didn't consider dating until a band judge that they were running errands for at an event joked that he would give Nik a tip so he could take his girlfriend (Katie) out. Katie texted Nik that night jokingly asking where he was going to take her with the non-tip, and he responded "I have to save up the money so I can take you to the roller rink". They went a few weekends later and have been together since. They've been through a lot of life together in the last 12 years, seeing the ups and downs of growing from high school, to college, to adulthood, the difficulty of jobs/careers, the loss of friends and loved ones, and a move across the country, just to name some of it. Through it all, however, they've kept love and laughter ever present. They've gone far together and look forward to going much further.