When Anthony was a prospective student visiting Saint John's, Bernadette was asked to sit at his table at Convivium (lunch after midday prayer) as a part of his tour. They were friendly with one another, but Bernadette didn't think too much of the lunch, and wasn't sure if Anthony enjoyed her company. Anthony, however, was immediately interested in Bernadette. He went back home to Indiana, said "yes" to coming to Saint John's, and emailed Bernadette a few times throughout December with "questions about Saint John's" that she completely missed as his attempt to get to know her better. In January, once Anthony started his classes at Saint John's, Bernadette reached out to Anthony. She was interested in him, but didn't want to come on too strong, so she suggested they grab lunch just as friends. Anthony said yes, and they went to lunch together a week after classes started. This first lunch turned into two, then three. Soon, Anthony was referring to these lunches jokingly as "cordial lunches," and they were happening 3 to 4 times a week. Throughout January and February, along with "cordial lunches", Bernie and Anthony were getting dinner, having morning coffee, going to Mass together, planning study sessions, and enjoying walks throughout the Arboretum at Saint John's and through Saint Joe. They found that they had a lot in common, sharing a love of coffee, theology, books, food, conversation, and for their families and friends. After 2 months of spending time together, it was obvious to them both that there was something more between them than just friendship. On March 4th, 2023, Anthony and Bernadette had their first "official date." They went to mass at Saint John's, browsed through books in downtown Saint Cloud at Books Revisited, then grabbed coffee at Kinder Coffee. The day ended by going back to Saint John's, where in Emmaus Hall, Anthony asked Bernadette to be his girlfriend. She immediately said yes. Fast forward to roughly two years later, Anthony planned a date (with many similarities to their first) to propose to Bernadette. Again, she immediately and joyfully said yes. The rest of our story is yet to come! We are so happy you are a part of our lives and our relationship. We are who we are because we have been loved by you, and we can't wait to celebrate saying "yes" to each other for the rest of our lives with you.