Koby and Alex met the first week of freshman year at the University of Illinois. We were placed in the same dormitory, him on the fourth floor and me on the first. Koby remembers meeting Alex on Quad Day, the day before classes start when all student organizations are on the quad recruiting new members. Our dorm floors went together as a group. Something must have stuck out to him, because..... Alex remembers entering Foellinger Auditorium, a 1,000-person lecture hall for Economics 101. As she walked in to a sea of strangers looking for a seat, she heard her name being yelled. Koby, who is forgetful with names, remembered Alex's and was calling her over to sit with him! From then on, every Tuesday and Thursday we would sit next to each other in Economics 101, which ended at lunch time. We’d walk back to our dorm and have lunch together, and our relationship grew from there!

Picture this: it’s our 5-year anniversary of dating. We agreed we wouldn’t be giving each other gifts. It’s also one week before Alex (temporarily) moves halfway across the country from St. Louis to D.C. Koby tells Alex that this is a big day! She agrees - 5 years is a long time. We go on a drive, since Koby loves roadtrips and Alex loves Koby. We take MO Highway 79 north, which hugs the Mississippi River. Being Fall, the leaves are changing colors, and the truck climbs up bluffs overlooking the river. Alex unknowingly picks The Spot (scroll for photo). She sees a lookout point over the river, and says to Koby let’s stop! He pulls the truck around, pops the tailgate down, gives Alex some blankets, and we sit and soak in the pretty view. A fellow truck pulls in to the lookout point, and Koby subtly attempts to swat it away to no avail. Koby starts talking.... and he says to Alex that he lied to her! He actually did get her a gift for their anniversary. He starts talking more, and Alex cannot remember what he said.... because she was exploding with excitement, but trying to play it cool. Then he turns to her, gets down on one knee, and pops the question! She says YES!!!! Cue waterworks 😭 and our fellow truck witness driving off with celebratory honks.

Since Koby's proposal, Alex and Koby have been waiting patiently for our big day! We moved to Alexandria, VA, explored our new home, weathered a pandemic, and grew our family by four legs and fluff.