At the beginning of the spring semester in January 2021, Hannah became a Resident Assistant at Messiah University. During her first staff meeting, when asked about her favorite authors, she admitted to not liking Ernest Hemingway. Little did she know that Devan, who was a fellow RA on her staff, had just finished reading Hemingway’s memoir. The following week, Devan approached Hannah, stating, “I have a bone to pick with you about something you said last week.” After that, the two became friends, started hanging out more, and eventually admitted to having feelings for each other. When Hannah and Devan began dating, it was the end of Devan’s last semester at Messiah. Devan moved to Ohio, and the two did long distance from 2021 to 2023. In that time, they learned to make the most of their time together, planning day trips to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, and Washington D.C. Finally, their long-distance days came to an end when Hannah also moved to Ohio in 2023.

On December 26, 2023, while Devan was visiting the Desko family for Christmas, he suggested that he and Hannah go for a walk at Messiah. On the way there, Hannah wanted to stop at one of her favorite coffee shops, only to discover that it was closed. Despite it obviously being closed, Devan said, “You should still go up to the door and make sure!” While thinking the suggestion was strange, Hannah obliged– and it was a good thing she did because this gave Devan a chance to get the engagement ring out of its box and into his pocket. After confirming that the coffee shop was in fact closed, the two continued on to Messiah. While it was a misty day, the two enjoyed their walk around campus, discussing their favorite moments from Messiah, discussing individual and shared memories. Finally, Devan suggested that they sit on a bench by the Yellow Breeches creek (which, in hindsight, was a bit odd since the rain was picking up and it was getting muddy). As Devan waited for the perfect opportunity to pop “The Question,” Hannah continued to comment on a family of ducks that swam across the creek. Finally, Devan asked Hannah to marry him! After many tears from the bride-to-be, the two celebrated by going to dinner with their families.

We look forward to spending our special day with you and can’t wait for what the future has in store! We’ll be continuing our adventure by moving to Athens, OH where Devan will continue his PhD program at Ohio University, with Devan moving in 2024 and Hannah after the wedding.