Our story begins in 2016 when we first met cross country skiing at the Austin Nature Center. It was a random Saturday ski outing organized by our mutual friends. This didn’t spark up our relationship just yet but we continued our friendship with the help of our friends, Isaac and Tara. Fast forward to spring of 2018, Lilly is finishing up her senior year and Connor his junior year of high school. Neither of us had a prom date and the dance was fast approaching. Lilly was in Mexico for her final spring break of high school and a prom date was the last thing on her mind. After some texting back and forth, Connor decided he’d finally found the courage to ask Lilly to prom. He had a cat tag made in the shape of a pink heart with the text “PROM?” printed on the front. With the help of Fayth (Lilly’s Sister), Connor attempted to put the collar on Lilly’s cat, Nick. Unfortunately, Nick was not the most friendly to strangers and he made it known that he does not like collars. After some struggle we got it on, Lilly saw the tag and said YES! Initially, we thought we were going to prom just as “Grand March Friends” not as a first date. Neither one of us were sure if we would stay together or go our separate ways after we entered the dance. Luckily, we hit it off and had a very fun night together! Our relationship had begun and our first official date was at Lilly’s favorite restaurant El Mariachi a couple days after prom. The next couple weeks were new and fun, but the reality crept in that Lilly will be leaving for college at the end of the summer. We needed to decide if we wanted to commit to this new relationship and try long distance even though we knew it would be challenging. On May 20, 2018 we decided it was worth it and committed to this relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend. That summer we served on a mission trip in Los Angeles California with Westminster Presbyterian Church. The final day was a celebration for all the work we did, so we spent it at Santa Monica Beach. This is where we said “I love you”. With Lilly going to school at the University of Minnesota and Connor finishing up high school, we started our long distance relationship that first year. We made the drive between Minneapolis and Austin a few times that year, but the weekends we spent together were very special. The following year, Connor also attended UMN and we were long distance no more. We continued to grow together and plan out our future. In 2022, we decided to move in together. Our first home was in the como neighborhood just north of our college campus. From the beginning we knew there was something special between us and at this point it wasn’t if we were going to get married but when. Then on our 6th anniversary, May 20, 2024, Connor planned a date to celebrate the big occasion. We were on a family vacation with the Byrams exploring the Hawaiian islands. Our anniversary was the perfect cover up for a date night. On our way to dinner, Lilly and Connor stopped at Waikiki beach to watch the sunset over the pacific ocean. As the sun was setting, Connor got down on one knee and proposed to Lilly, asking her to spend the rest of their lives together!