Jon and Laura met the day they moved into college at Lehigh University in August 2011. They had both joined a 3-day program focused on sustainability that Lehigh offered before orientation started for all of the incoming students. Though they didn’t hit it off right away, they ended up living in the same dorm, joining the same clubs and getting the same job on campus. It turned out they had a lot in common, and they became friends for two years before Jon finally admitted he had the feels for Laura.

The short version: Jon had always planned to propose to Laura in the great outdoors because of their shared love of nature. When they finally got to plan their first camping trip since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he knew he wanted to make it a special trip. They chose to camp in North Cascades National Park. On July 17, 2020, they took an easy evening sunset hike to Blue Lake. When they reached the lake, they were the only people there! He popped the question and it was the perfect moment they both had hoped this special occasion would be. The long version: Ask Jon over a drink some time when you have 20 minutes for a fun story.