Elizabeth and Bradly’s love story began on the first day of school at Chico State. Both of them were admitted to the Honors Program and placed in the same dorm house. They were both there to study engineering and had many classes together during their first year. At first, they didn’t appear to be that compatible: She took school very seriously, studied often, did her homework early, and went to bed at a reasonable time. And let’s just say he should have. Once Freshman year ended, they moved out of the dorm they shared but ended up living in apartments very near each other anyway. They continued studying with each other, sitting next to each other in class, and hanging out with common friends. Eventually, he gathered up the courage to ask her on a date. For reasons that still aren’t clear to him, she said yes! During their time in Chico, Bradly and Elizabeth grew closer as they spent more time doing many fun activities they still enjoy today. They learned how to play disc golf, had weeknight dates to watch How I Met Your Mother, and had dinner dates at delicious restaurants all over town. One of Bradly’s favorite dates was when Elizabeth took him to eat sushi for the first time, a favorite of his now. As their respective engineering curriculum gave them fewer and fewer classes together, they also began taking fun classes to spend more time together, like Beginning Golf and Tennis. Common dating advice is the other person shouldn’t change you, but accept you as you are. In these early years of their relationship, Elizabeth and Bradly did change each other, but only for the better. She helped him get a real haircut, taught him how to dress like an adult, and how to cook for himself. He taught her how to use herbs and spices when they cook that food, to slow down and enjoy college a little bit, and to drive closer to the speed limit. She still needs some work in this department (she blames the slowness on her Prius, but we both know that's just as excuse) but she’ll get there one day. He hopes. Brad graduated Chico State first, followed closely by Elizabeth, and then came their first big hurdle: Elizabeth decided to attend Graduate school at Oregon State University. Bradly was working his first full-time job in Sacramento so they tried dating long distance, driving to meet each other halfway in Ashland as often as they could manage. But after about a year, Bradly knew he had to be closer to her, so he quit his job and moved to Southern Washington, where they could see each other every weekend. They made many lasting memories in Washington and Oregon, including: Going to college football games, taking a couples cooking class where Bradly learned the proper way to chop an onion, and exploring the Columbia Gorge. During this time, Bradly was invited to his first Lee/Jachens family reunion in Lake Tahoe. They also traveled to Alaska, Mexico, Canada, and Hawaii. Once Elizabeth successfully defended her doctoral thesis, she officially became Dr. Jachens and they would move to San Diego in January of 2022. There they would celebrate a whole host of milestones: their 10th anniversary, meeting their newborn niece for the first time, buying their first home together, and finally, after 12 years of dating, Bradly asked Liz to marry him on a beautiful sunny day on the beach in Carlsbad, CA. Even after being together for so long, Bradly’s heart was pounding and despite sounding like a blubbering idiot, Elizabeth said yes.