Brooke: I was working as an event host at Topgolf (shoutout to my bosses for not letting me off!), and Cole showed up with his whole family for a party. Cole: My family decided on going to Topgolf. The Wastlers are usually a rowdy bunch when we’re all together. My buddy Landen and I showed up early to get some swings in before everyone got there. This was during COVID so the employees had to wear masks. I was greeted by a lovely woman at the front holding a sign with my last name, “Wastler.” She pronounced it wrong at first, so I corrected her, and she was like it's a tough one to get right (how ironic that will be her new last name). Immediately I could tell she was full of a bubbly spirit. I couldn’t take my eyes off her beautiful brown eyes behind that COVID mask. I wanted to look at them forever. B: He was wearing a Carhartt beanie that I absolutely love and still make him wear to this day. I think he was happy he was golfing so he could impress me with his swing (bad news for him I just worked there and didn't know a thing about golf, but he looked good doing it). C: As soon as my family arrived, they were greeted by our amazing host, Brooke. My mom and aunt were in awe, they started chirping me and telling her my life story trying to hype me up. They asked Brooke a bunch of questions. Every time she’d go get us drinks or food, they loudly told me she was one of a kind, and I needed to swoop in. B: His mom instantly became our personal wingwoman. She told me he was majoring in nutrition and then, from across the room, yelled, “Cole, show Brooke your abs!” I mean, how’s a girl supposed to keep it together after that? C: Funny enough, Landen used to work with Brooke at Topgolf and gave me some good insight on how great she is. I couldn’t help but get nervous every time she came back over. Later that night, we kept making comments and locking eyes. I wasn’t much of a guy to get a girl’s number randomly, especially at a place like this, but that wasn’t going to stop me tonight. B: I found out he also lived in Lawrence and went to KU too, which felt like the universe doing some serious matchmaking. Right before they rolled out, he asked for my Snapchat, and we started chatting every day for about a month. Before they left, we even conga lined out, it was hysterical. C: Brooke was running our tabs. I went up to her planning on asking for her number. Nervously, I started talking, I think I told her she was cute, but it was a bit of a blur. Me being the brilliant man I am, instead of asking for her number, I asked for her… Snapchat?? Geez, man up, Cole! Brooke laughed and gave me her Snapchat. I was shaking with excitement. Of course, the family was watching as it was time to go. They started doing a 15-person conga line right by us. Brooke pushed me into the line with a push that felt like a loving goodbye. I could tell she liked me then. B: At the end of January, he finally asked me out and came to pick me up at my apartment. My roommates Haley and Maddie were spying through the window. They loved him from the start once they saw him open the door for me. Ice skating at Crown Center was our first official date. We talked non stop the whole car ride, realizing just how much we had in common and how easily we could be ourselves together. We didn’t want the night to end, so on the drive back to Lawrence, we stopped at my favorite college hangout, the Eldridge, for a nightcap. When he dropped me off, we shared what had to be the best first kiss ever. The kind that makes you smile for days. Haley later told me she knew it was serious when I came back giddy, saying, “Dang, I didn’t want this to get serious... but that was seriously the best first date ever.” From that moment on, he’s been my best friend, my partner in crime, and my absolute soulmate. Honestly, I couldn’t have dreamed up a better start to our forever. C: Five years later, I’m about to marry the love of my life, the amazing woman I met that night.