We met in 2012 at Colgate University, both playing basketball for the Men’s and Women’s teams. During our first year, Randyll brought Austin to a basketball formal as a favor for a friend. We took one picture together and, funny enough, hardly spoke the rest of the night! Throughout that year, we were casual classmates, cheering each other on at games, sharing class trips, and exchanging smiles in passing. As our college years unfolded, Randyll and Austin began spending more time together as friends. Randyll was drawn to Austin’s sense of humor and the way they could make each other laugh endlessly, and Austin admired Randyll's transparency and how easily he could open up and talk to her about anything. Between classes, training sessions, and game days, we found ourselves spending more and more time together. We’d unwind by talking about life, debating whose high school team was better, swapping favorite songs, going to the movies, and exploring Hamilton, often laughing until the early hours, fueled by way too much coffee and last-minute paper deadlines (lots of fun times---not so much studying). Our friendship grew stronger with every passing year. We shared stories of our hometowns, Randyll trying to sell Austin on Chicago’s charm and Austin making a case for York, Pennsylvania. Our days were filled with Call of Duty battles, sociology class note exchanges, attending events around campus (a favorite: watching the Nov 14 2016, super moon together), and those familiar laughs and candid conversations that made everything feel right. Before we knew it, we would spend some of our most significant collegiate experiences together. Austin was there when Randyll had her season ending injury and helped her smile her way through recovery. Randyll was there when Austin made a game winning half court shot on his senior night and they watched together as Austin made Sports Center top10 plays in the #1 spot!! Those were some of our most unforgettable college memories, and we were there for each other every step of the way. The spring of our senior year approached all too quickly, bringing the bittersweet reality that our side-by-side days were numbered. Randyll had plans to head to Ireland that Fall (always letting Austin know that an Irish prince was going to sweep her up), and he was preparing to play basketball in Europe. After a night out, Austin finally mustered the courage to confess that if we didn’t give love a chance, it would always be one of his greatest "what ifs." Randyll agreed, but a few days later, hesitated, afraid of risking our precious friendship because the truth in all of this is that we were just friends (although everyone on campus was trying to tell us that there was more to the story). Through all those days together, we were just having fun and didn’t realize that we were falling in love with one another. When we both felt how empty those few hesitation days were without each other side by side, we knew we wanted to give ourselves a chance. And together, we decided that there was no way we could go back to being just friends. What followed was a year of long-distance love: Chicago to York, Ireland to Kosova. We navigated it all, committed and hopeful. In 2017, we finally made our home in Philadelphia, building our lives together as friends, partners, and teammates. In February 2024, on a hiking trail at the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Austin got down on one knee and asked Randyll to marry him. She said yes, knowing that the love and laughter we’ve shared since that very first picture taken years ago was just the beginning of our lifelong adventure together.