Eliza and I met for the first time on a pumpkin-carving group date at my apartment complex in Provo on October 24, 2024. (My friend Kennedy, who is also Eliza's friend from her freshman year at BYU, gets a huge shoutout here for organizing the date with her roommates and inviting Eliza to come.) Unfortunately, Eliza was not my date - Kennedy had set her up with another friend. I distinctly remember noticing Eliza's stunning blue eyes and radiant smile as soon as she walked in. When we sat down to carve the pumpkins and I heard Eliza tell her date that she was from NC, I couldn't help but interject to find out more since I served my mission in the Raleigh area. We found out that I served in Eliza's home YSA ward while she was on her mission in the Dominican Republic. Even crazier, we made the connection that my companion and I had met Eliza's high school best friend, Rachel, on UNC campus in January 2022! Eliza remembered Rachel sending her a message about meeting the missionaries, and I remembered the interaction with Rachel because she was so friendly. That connection was crazy enough that we took a photo together to send to Rachel. If I hadn't been on a date with someone else, I would have asked Eliza out right then and there. It's pretty cool to look back and see how God brought us together - I've never been more grateful for anything. Thankfully, that wasn't the only time He did. Three months later, Eliza and I ran into each other at a church swing dancing activity. I asked her to dance, then asked her out. I had a bit of a crisis after the first date when I stalked her Instagram and realized she was definitely out of my league - I couldn’t believe my luck when she kept agreeing to do stuff with me. One month after swing dancing, I asked her to be my girlfriend. She took a leap of faith by agreeing, and I’ve been beyond grateful to have her in my life ever since.