Our life together began on December 12th, 2020 when we were lucky enough to be introduced to each other at a small gathering through mutual friends in San Diego. Annika had made her now famous Vodka Pasta for everyone, and we instantly connected through our mutual love of music and movies. We stayed up late talking, watching The Sound of Music and debating over which Pink Floyd album we thought was the best. Filled with the excitement of an instant connection, we spent the next day on our second date, surfing then having a bonfire on the beach. We ended that night knowing we were going to be seeing a lot more of each other. Cory was finishing the last semester of his engineering degree at SDSU, while Annika had recently moved to Palm Springs to pursue her career at the brand new Acrisure Arena. With a 2 ½ hour drive separating us, we spent most of our time long distance, but still continued to see each other most weekends. These were memorable times filled with trips to Joshua Tree, road trips around California to show Annika what she hadn’t seen growing up in Minnesota, and a ton of other unforgettable experiences together that bridged the gap between our long distance. After years of making it work from two separate cities, we decided to purchase a home in Palm Desert together in March of 2023. We were so excited to finally be able to close the long distance gap between us and start building a home together. On March 22nd, 2024, a not out of the ordinary day trip to Joshua Tree took place; one where Cory was asked to drive Annika and her sister, Kate, to a beautiful lookout in the National Park. Annika was fully convinced that this trip was Kate’s idea, and that Cory was a reluctant participant. Little did she know, this was all his idea. As the sun began to set and the moment seemed right, Cory surprised Annika with a proposal on the cliff's edge. Every day since as an engaged couple has only been better than the last, and we can both say confidently that meeting each other has been the most life changing experience that only gets better and better every hour. We are so excited to share this love with our closest friends and family, and are looking forward to sealing our promise of forever, surrounded by those we love.