Where does the saga of Laura and Andrew begin? They owe their initial meeting to Laura's brother, Brian. Brian was in search of a Seattle roommate as he began life in the corporate world in Seattle, and randomly emailed Andrew, a fellow member of his Boeing cohort. Laura met Andrew while moving Brian in to the Kirkland townhouse, and assumed he was another nerdy aerospace engineer, so she isolated herself in an empty room to study for the GMAT. (Because that's not a nerdy past-time...)

Laura and two Duke friends were going on their second annual New Year's ski trip. Brian also was skiing with Seattle buddies (including his former roommate, Andrew), so the two schemed to at least head to the same mountain--Whistler. The two groups really hit it off... maybe a little too well. As the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve, Laura and Andrew found each other--much to everyone's surprise (including their own). This tradition would continue for three more years before anything serious actually happened.

No one wants to pursue a long-distance relationship, but when you're amid a global pandemic and lockdowns, you spend your time on Zoom or FaceTime regardless. Hence the first date: a 3 hour FaceTime on a Thursday evening (scheduled in advance by Andrew). These FaceTimes would continue until Laura made her way to Seattle to celebrate the 4th of July--and her first in-person date with Andrew. The rest is history!

One year in to dating, Andrew accompanied the Eisenbeis Family on a 2-week trip to Croatia. Laura had planned a date night for just the two of them at a rooftop restaurant in Old Town Dubrovnik. She didn't think anything of it when Andrew wanted to take a picture at the look out spot beforehand. Brian and Emma were snapping pics and taking video when Andrew dropped on one knee, surprising Laura with the most epic proposal. As he pulled out a cufflink box with a silicone wedding band from Dick's Sporting Goods, he stated "this is best silicone money can buy... and picking out your actual ring will be the first of many decisions we make together." How could Laura resist?!