Fate brought Austin and Kaitlin together in their junior year of college at the University of North Dakota. It was the first day of classes in August 2019, 9am, when Kaitlin rushed into her very crowded lecture hall (late, of course) and sat at one of the only open seats at the back of the room. As the professor started introducing himself, Kaitlin realized her class started at 10am, NOT 9. Mortified, she went online and enrolled in the class. Good thing she did because Austin just so happened to be sitting in the seat next to her. They bonded over a "bucket list" assignment in class where Kaitlin nosily noticed one of the items on Austin's list was to see an NHL game, and they spent the rest of that class talking about hockey. More conversations about family, goals, hobbies, and aspirations lead Austin to ask Kaitlin to be his girlfriend on October 25th, 2019. They like to say their pairing was made possible due to a friend "wing-manning" the both of them. Kaitlin and Austin supported each other through college, graduate school, and countless moves. They have loved each other not only in the good times, but through loss and adversity their bond strengthened to become unbreakable. Austin proposed on January 10, 2025 in their own backyard after a beautiful snowfall. Kaitlin forgot to say "yes" until quite a while after (it was cold in my defense), but regardless, they can't wait to celebrate with their favorite people!