Ours is the kind of story you’d expect to find in a holiday movie. What began as casual conversations by a Phi Kappa Sigma party keg in the early 1980s was followed by 41 years of separate, happy lives—raising families, building careers, and navigating life’s joys and losses. Then, seemingly out of the sky, Robert appeared with an invitation for a New Year’s date in San Diego in late December 2023. The spark came from the Vanderbilt Reunion in 2023—but not in the way one might expect. We were both there, yet never officially crossed paths. Robert skipped the formal events entirely, while Liz attended everything. Though we walked the same brick paths on campus, we never ran into one another. Robert had noticed Liz’s post in the Class of 1983 reunion group, but it wasn’t until his weekend hosts—another Phi Kap and his sorority-sister wife—shared the backstory that something clicked. That was the moment Robert decided to reach out. With the help of another shared Phi Kap friend (and plenty of encouragement all around), Robert sent the first text over Thanksgiving 2023. What followed was a month of late-night phone calls lasting hours—no small feat given the three-hour time difference. An unexpected New Year’s date in San Diego soon turned into a year and a half of spectacular cross-country trips and adventures, culminating in the proposal on July 1, 2024, at our favorite San Diego restaurant, C Level Lounge—also the site of our very first date. Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to begin our married life in San Diego with our two pets and to plan family visits with our combined five adult children and their spouses, spread across four states and Washington, D.C. You can follow the journey through photos on our Gallery page, which captures the moments that brought us here.