All the way back in 2015, JJ’s twin sister Hannah was in need of a volunteer to dress up as Santa Claus for her sorority’s annual Christmas sisterhood event. Who better to fulfill the role than JJ? Annie, coincidentally in the same sorority as Hannah, locked eyes with JJ in his Santa disguise and instantly wanted to know him more. Over the next several years, we remained friends, and had several accidental run-ins on Oregon State’s campus where it felt like it could have been more. It wasn’t until 2019 when things officially took off as more than friends, and we haven’t been apart since! JJ proposed in December of 2024 at the Keim family “cookie day”, in which the whole family comes together to bake hundreds of cookies for their closest family and friends. (Yes — hundreds). JJ’s sisters had successfully convinced Annie that another purpose for this day was to take family photos — the perfect excuse to get dressed up and look nice for the camera. When JJ proposed, Annie was completely taken by surprise and overwhelmed with emotion when her dad made a special appearance. It was an amazing day to be surrounded by family and love.