We're getting married!

We first met in our study abroad prep class. After the very first meeting, Abigail told her friend Hannah that if she was going to kiss anyone on the trip, it was going to be “that blonde boy” (Seth). At the next class, hoping to make some bold moves, Abigail asked Seth if he wanted to come sit by her. He promptly said no, and then walked across the room to sit in the farthest seat away from her.

Most of our study abroad experience consisted of walking… everywhere. With all that time moving from place to place, there was plenty of opportunity for conversation. On our very first day in Venice, Abigail made several attempts to talk to (and fully rizz up) Seth. Unfortunately for her, Seth was far more focused on playing cards and chatting with another girl. This dynamic didn’t change much as the trip continued (except for an incident in Genova), and by the time we reached Florence, Abigail had spent three full days asking Seth increasingly outrageous questions like what instrument he would be in a mariachi band or how many men it would take to fight a gorilla, while Seth earnestly debated the exact rules and boundaries of each scenario. Abigail was trying. Seth was still impressively oblivious.

Siena began with the worst rainstorm of the entire trip. We were completely soaked. Seth decided he needed to do laundry, and Abigail asked to go with him. That somehow turned into the two of us sitting in a nearly abandoned laundromat, watching Matilda while our clothes dried. Earlier that evening, Abigail had been walking back from the convent to meet Seth at the laundromat when she accidentally walked straight into one of the Palio factions parading through the streets in preparation for the race. Seth, meanwhile, took a picture of it and found the whole thing hilarious (and still teases her about it to this day). The night ended on Seth’s balcony, sitting and looking out at the Duomo di Siena. (Seth denies this, but) every time Abigail scooted a little farther away, Seth somehow ended up scooting closer. They talked about what life might be like if they ever lived in Italy again, and for the first time, it felt like more than just a chase. After Abigail left, she immediately held a very serious debrief with Devin and Addy, literally right outside Seth’s door, to decide whether or not Seth liked her, and if he did, what would she do about it?

By this point in the trip, we had already had multiple near-kisses (looking at you, Naples). Our study abroad program had a strict no-dating rule, which Seth interpreted very literally as also meaning no kissing. Meanwhile, the rest of our study abroad family knew exactly what was going on, so much so that even our professor made jokes about how we were always together. If you’ve been to Palermo, you know it can feel a little chaotic. The convent we stayed in somehow managed to amplify that. There was mold in the bathroom, which was essentially just three plywood walls roughly nailed together, no air conditioning, and a lobby that doubled as a garden where weed-smoking karate people regularly hung out. Neither of us were thriving. That night, we sat at Seth’s window watching the fireworks (or possibly gunshots) celebrating Anti-Mafia Day. At some point, Abigail informed Seth that she would no longer be hanging out one-on-one with him unless he grew some courage and kissed her. After at least five minutes of intense self-reflection, Seth finally did. Within 15 seconds of the kiss, his roommate Tyler walked in. Abigail panicked, jumped up, and ran away. Both of us would later agree: the kiss was a solid 2/10, but still very worth it.

Our last week of study abroad was essentially a vacation. We wandered through Old Town Dubrovnik, rode not one but two boats, and ate the most expensive burger of the entire trip. It all ended with a final “family dinner,” where Abigail handed out paper-plate awards to everyone in our group. Seth proudly received Father Goose. Once dinner ended, our study abroad was technically over. We spent the rest of the night reminiscing with our newfound family about how life-changing the experience had been. Eventually, we wandered down to the beach, looking out at the water. Very casually, almost as an afterthought, Seth asked, “So… does that mean we’re dating now?” Nothing more romantic. We stayed out together until about 1:00 a.m., then woke up again at 5:30 to say goodbye, knowing we wouldn’t see each other for the next month.

After a month apart, though constantly on the phone, we were finally reunited after a brutal red-eye flight from Salt Lake City to Atlanta. The week was packed with adventure: the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, the Georgia Aquarium, lunch at Jim ’N Nick’s, gem mining in Dahlonega, hibachi, and even a day trip to Tennessee. The most important part of the visit, though, was meeting Seth’s family; especially his younger brother Chase, who would be leaving on his mission the week after Abigail’s visit. Somewhere between multiple singing and dancing breaks to Speechless from the live-action Aladdin and The Devil Went Down to Georgia, we’re pretty sure Abigail won him over. Abigail later made a second trip to Georgia so she and Seth could drive back to Utah together. The three-day road trip took them across some of the flattest, most boring states in the country. There was only one minor crash-out (Abigail does not do well sitting still for more than thirty minutes), and the rest of the time was filled with nonstop conversation, except for the moments when Abigail inevitably fell asleep. Seth also impressively drove 26 of the 30 hours. By the end of the trip, it was clear that somewhere between Georgia and Utah, we had fallen even more in love.

After study abroad, life settled into something that felt surprisingly natural. We spent the semester growing closer, learning how to be together in the real world, and realizing that what had started as a chase in Italy had turned into something steady and serious. The day after Abigail’s sister’s gender reveal in October, Seth spent the morning in the lobby of the SpringHill Suites in Provo talking with Abigail’s dad and asking for her hand in marriage. The following week, Seth kept his promise to make the proposal a complete surprise. He worked with four of Abigail’s friends to thoroughly confuse her about when it would happen. Every time she was invited to hang out, the "hang out" would consist of dress up and driving up the canyon for photos The second “hangout” was with Abigail’s sister Ellie and Ellie’s roommate Kathleen, who claimed they needed Abigail for a photography class assignment. Unfortunately, the day of the shoot, Abigail had a terrible sinus infection and begged not to go. Ellie responded with what can only be described as the most dramatic fit of her life, insisting that if Abigail didn’t come, Kathleen would fail the class. So up the canyon they went. As Abigail, Ellie, and Kathleen climbed into a mountain clearing, Seth, along with Abigail’s best friend Kati and Seth’s childhood best friend and his wife, Jaydan and Teija, hid just beyond the trees. The actual engagement was delayed a full thirty minutes because Ellie decided it was time to have a full fake photoshoot while everyone remained hidden just beyond the clearing. Finally, as Abigail crossed the clearing, Seth jumped out, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him. There was a lot of screaming, jumping, and yippess to go around! Abigail of course said yes. Their study abroad family were of course the first people to know, and we celebrated with some delicious tacos from the one and only don joanquins!