Now the story of how Cori & Jim met is one worth retelling. And it has been - as an aid for falling asleep, as something to reminisce about, and as something to write about in the "How We Met" section of a wedding page. Cori & Jim met in the fall of 2013 in State College, PA while attending the Pennsylvania State University. It being the fall, they were both in the first semester of the year - Cori, a freshmen, and Jim, a sophomore. They were introduced through a mutual friend, Steve Marshalek. Now, Cori & Jim's first introduction was something notably unremarkable, whether that be because of Cori's coyness and Jim's inebriation, who's to say. However, it was not to stay that way for long. Over the course of the school year, they would encounter one another, primarily at Steve's apartment, numerous times, and at each encounter, their interactions became more prominent. For instance, Cori would stare at Jim more often and longer - making sure to look away right as Jim would look at her. Or Jim would make up exaggerated stories about how Cori tore her ACL or how he tried out for the cheerleading squad that day as a reason to talk to her. It became evident to the both of them, independently, that the other was something special and presence they both wanted in their lives. Finally, during a "State Patty's Day" party, Cori & Jim shared their first kiss. The following day, Cori & Jim shared their first, official date at the Waffle House. And for the rest of the school year, they each made it an effort to either talk or see each other as much as they could. As the school year came to an end, they both agreed to keep in touch over the summer - and they did! Everyday, except for one (that is not an exaggeration). Cori would have to explain to her mom what it means when two people are "talking." Jim would have to resist the urge to drive across the state to see her. When they returned to Penn State after the summer of 2014, they began officially dating. During their time at Penn State over the next three years, Cori & Jim shared many dinner dates at Penn State's various fine dining venues, great parties, and earnest attempts at studying. Each moment spent together solidified in their minds that this relationship was something special. During the summer before Jim graduated, he decided that the utter lack of responsibility Cori & he had enjoyed during their time at school had come to an end and saddled them with an eight-week-old, German Shepherd puppy, Levi. Whether this was Jim's way of locking Cori in for the long term or just a brazen act of impulsiveness, again, who is to say. While Cori was wrapping up her senior year, they would make frequent trips to see each other; either Jim would bring Levi up to Penn State or Cori would make the trip back to Philadelphia. When she graduated, Cori had the mounting decision on where to go for grad school. Upon deciding to attend Temple University, Cori & Jim moved in together at the ages of 21 & 23, respectively. From there, Cori graduated from Temple, they moved twice, got a cat (Tim), got jobs, and felt their love for each other change and grow in ways they never expected. In short, Cori & Jim built a life together. A life that would be incomplete without each other. Finally, it became overwhelmingly apparent to Jim that he better make this life with Cori official before the eyes of God, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and all their friends and family. On the hottest day of July 2021, Jim brought Cori and their dog to the park and asked Cori if she would like to go for a walk. Being that it was the hottest day in July, Cori protested, claiming that it was hot and she was wearing a dress. When Jim insisted they walk down to the Wissahickon River and even bribed her with ice cream, Cori responded, "What, are you going to propose?" After fulfilling his ice cream bribe, Jim filled Cori's hands with two water bottles, the dog leash, plus the ice cream, and then Jim proposed.