Both upgrading from the tiny dorm rooms of Towers to suite-style living in Panther Hall, we looked forward to moving back to Pitt to start sophomore year. While neither of us can pin-point a dramatic first meeting, instead our first memories of each other respectively include loud music and partying, and doing laundry. As we spent the year living across the hall from each other, our groups of friends gradually meshed.

After growing a strong friendship over the year-and-a-half since we met, we started to find excuses to spend more time together. Meeting up to grab Chipotle after class, watch new weekly episodes of the Blacklist, or set up March Madness Brackets. Although looking back now, you could say our "first real date" was that night in the spring of 2015 that we had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, neither one of us confidently knew when to retire the term "friend" and swap it with "boyfriend" or "girlfriend." It wasn't until November of 2015 after a few beers at a Pitt Football tailgate that Ryan decided to clear some things up. It went something along the lines of "I think we should talk later," inducing a full-on panic, but ended with "I've thought of you as my girlfriend for a while now."

Leading up to graduation, we both considered options that included moving back home vs. staying in Pittsburgh. Almost simultaneously, Ryan accepted a job in Malvern as an opportunity arose for Amy in Pittsburgh. We feared the distance would pose a threat to our growing relationship, but instead, we got used to syncing up movies together over Facetime and became very familiar with the PA turnpike. A year later, when Amy set off for PA school in NYC, we were relieved to be able to cut the travel time. These two years were tough, but we learned that our relationship was strong enough to last.

This year brought happiness, balance and re-discovering what our relationship looks like with distance out of the way. Ryan bought a house and we moved in together, two days before Amy started a new clinical role at CHOP. We spent every evening and weekend of the summer at Home Depot and of course tackled our first home owner crisis (an ant infestation that led to moving the dishwasher, disconnecting the pipes, and ended in a leaky valve) followed by a bottle of wine. In August, we added the sweetest pup to our home, and now can not imagine it without our Sandy (and the robot vacuum that keeps all of her shedding semi-manageable). We are most appreciative to have the little things back - cooking dinners together, cuddling up on the couch, singing and dancing in the living room, and laughing together.

Ryan and Amy planned a small get-together to celebrate New Year's Eve. Nothing elaborate, just a few friends for appetizers and drinks. Amy only slightly hesitated when Ryan told her he ordered $150 worth of Chik-fil-A for the six of us! Then, Ryan also "spontaneously" made early dinner reservations for the two of us. When we got to the restaurant, we were escorted to a private room. We ordered drinks, and Ryan seemed a bit nervous. When we got our drinks, Ryan made a toast - not very typical for us. It was a quick "cheers" and he moved on. After a few minutes he started another toast, this time longer, capturing the highlights of our past year. Amy stayed quiet, only agreeing that yes, it had been a good year. Thoughts flew around in her head. Finally, after the waitress brought out our appetizers, Ryan got on one knee and popped the question! It was an instant yes! After dinner, we returned home for our "little get together." To Amy's surprise, Ryan had arranged for both our families and a few good friends to come over to celebrate with us. Mystery of the massive quantity Chik-fil-A solved!

We Can't Wait to Celebrate with You!