Cordes and I met at Penn State when we lived across the hall from one another.  Our first interaction involved some Sriracha and led to many late nights studying (nerds), home cooked meals by chef Coco, Songland marathons (hint: this led us to find our first dance song), and many laughs.  Our first date happened via coin flip as we explored Altoona, landing us at a less than delicious Mexican restaurant and a high school football game.  I was pretty convinced that Cordes was just about the most loving, funny, and thoughtful partner and person to exist from our first date and throughout our two years of dating.  Cordes’ light and love was exemplified in the most perfect proposal with careful attention to every detail I’d ever mentioned.  Two years later to commemorate the month of our first date, Cordes proposed to me at the beautiful Longwood Gardens after a massive, flood inspired, day-of change. Share with us in the beauty of that day through photos throughout our website.

When I moved to Penn State, I did not know a soul. I was thrown into a groupme with over 70 students, and was eager to make new friends. It all started when Caroline reached out for hot sauce from her across the hall neighbors. What started with hot sauce, progressed into being called the grandparents of the dorm. We spent A LOT of time studying, (Mom, Dad, you can associate my good grades with wanting to spend time with Caroline). However, I am a little suspicious, because Caroline was on an internship and did not have any classes.. I think it might have been a ploy to spend time with me. I first asked her out on a date while we were studying on the 2nd floor of our dorm one late night! We decided to go to Altoona to avoid football game crowds, and we played a game called coin flip, to determine our next turn, left or right, for exploring the town. The part of the night that I remember most is that we drove the 45 minutes home with Caroline holding my hand the entire time! On the next date we went to a sushi restaurant! I knew she loved crab, so I ordered crab-fried rice, turns out we both hate fried rice. My favorite part about that night is that I asked her to be my girlfriend. We dated for a couple of months and then the pandemic hit. When the pandemic hit, we spent hours upon hours cooped up in the dorm, cooking food, and taking long bike rides. I got to spend every waking moment with a woman who embodied everything you look for in a best friend and partner. She is compassionate, thoughtful, witty, smart, and patient. Having to deal with me for long periods at a time deserves a holiday, of which she deserves many!