In July of 2018, Luke and I met as missionaries in Lisbon, Portugal. We became good friends during that time and still share a common love for the Portuguese culture, language, and people. After our missions, Luke and I exchanged a few FaceTime calls during the Covid-19 pandemic before we both ended up at BYU for our undergraduate studies. We went on our first date in Provo on August 29, 2020 and enjoyed a variety of dates over the course of that fall semester. We did everything from hiking Mount Timpanogos to trying every pizza place in Provo to riding the Sundance chairlift to wake-surfing in Lake Powell to skiing at Alta to driving ATV's and more! Though I was ready to date Luke soon after our first date, he came to the same realization during the Thanksgiving break we spent apart. On December 2nd of 2020, Luke asked me to be his girlfriend with a bouquet of flowers in hand, along with 50 hand-written reasons why he liked me. Since we started dating, we've enjoyed learning more about each other, becoming best friends, supporting one another in our studies and internships, getting to know each other's families, and planning certain aspects of our future! Some highlights from our dating era include a beach trip to Coronado, hiking in Sedona with the Jacobs, attending the Rose Bowl with the Crowders, going to multiple rodeos, cooking Hello Fresh in our apartments, attending BYU football games, and playing endless pickleball/spikeball/kickball, etc. We couldn't be more excited to begin our next chapter of marriage!

I was lucky enough to join the Crowder family on an amazing trip to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel this past May. Eliza had her suspicions that I would propose on the trip, so she anxiously awaited a proposal each day. However, it didn’t come until day fifteen. Planning one of the most memorable moments of my life in a country that I had never been to proved to be harder than anticipated. Without plans, I took the ring with me on camel rides, on hikes through underground tunnels, on tours around the Western Wall, etc. I kept waiting for the perfect moment. Finally, the moment that I had been hoping for arrived. We were in Israel at the Mount of the Beatitudes, which overlooks the Sea of Galilee. So yeah, I proposed where Jesus walked on water! As our group walked through a garden, I knew that this was my chance. That is when I got nervous. My heart started pounding, but I mustered the courage to very smoothly ask Eliza to “go on a walk.” We split from the group and walked until I found a spot that had a nice view of the water. Then, I turned around, reached for Eliza’s hand, and got on one knee. Before I could say anything, we both started laughing hysterically. Eliza looked so pretty and happy. My nerves went away as I told Eliza that she was my best friend and that I wanted to spend my life and the rest of eternity with her. We loved having complete privacy in that moment and being congratulated by our friends and family after. We were engaged and we couldn't have been happier!