We met at a classic, UW-La Crosse house party. The theme? Blacklights and Wop. Brady had found himself running the beer pong table all night when an overly optimistic 19-year old Victoria stepped up to the table. She put up a good fight yet, despite her trash talking, still lost in the end. They found themselves near one another for much of the night as Victoria's pong partner had called "dibs" on "the guy in the Giannis jersey" (Brady). Trying her best to play wing woman, she stood by while they chatted yet his eyes kept catching hers. An abrupt end to the party, thanks to the La Crosse police shutting it down, had Victoria and Brady quickly parting ways before they could catch each other's names. Back in her dorm and debriefing the night with friends, the one who had been chatting with Brady all night received a message from him stating "Hey! Your friend was really cute. Can I have her Snapchat?" And so it began. We've grown a lot together in the past 8 years. We've navigated over 2 years of long distance, 4 academic degrees, multiple losses and grief, injuries, big moves, new careers, a puppy, a pandemic... life moves fast and we've been so fortunate to have each other through it all. September 2024 we embarked on the trip Victoria had been dreaming of since her 3rd grade "Around the World" country showcase. Traveling around Ireland was a dream in itself-- but getting engaged to your best friend at the Cliffs of Moher? Indescribable. We already knew that we were going to spend our lives together, but this moment really solidified that feeling and created a memory that we won't ever forget.