Austin and I met through each of our best friends who were dating at the time. It was the end of my first week in college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Austin was home on leave. I was hanging out in my best friend's dorm room and she was saying how her boyfriend and a couple of his friends were coming up to Lincoln to go to some parties and might stop by. When they showed up, it was getting late and they ended up hanging out with my friend and I in her dorm room. Austin's best friend wanted to stay the night but his two friends would have nowhere to go. I graciously offered to let them stay in my dorm room but... they were going to have to sleep on the floor! They came up to my floor, I threw some blankets down for them and they turned on the TV. The next morning I remember waking up and texting my mom, 'These boys are still sleeping on my floor, I need to get ready for the football game'. Fast forward, I come home after the football game for Labor Day Weekend. That night I got a SnapChat from Austin to go bowling with our friends. There were about 10 of us and I beat Austin's butt in every game! Austin left the next day and we stayed good friends over the next year! Our best friends and I visited Austin in Spokane for Fall Break and had a blast. I think Austin and I both knew that we liked each other but at the time when we first met, I was just starting college, and we weren't sure if doing something long-distance would have been a great option for us.

I traveled to Germany to visit Austin during his deployment - our first weekend there, we traveled to Paris, France. At 6 AM Saturday we woke up, dressed to the nines, and I was told we were heading out for the day's activities! Walking around Paris in heels was not for the faint of heart, as we walked through the park Austin offered for us to sit on a bench for a few minutes. I thought he was letting me rest my feet when in all actuality he was waiting for the photographer to get into place. I started to get a little suspicious when Austin looked at me and said, 'Yeah, the first thing I wanted to do with you in Paris is sit in the park with you'. Especially being so dressed up, so early in the morning, it wasn't adding up. He then asked me to look at this pretty building between the trees. We stand up from our bench, he guides me toward his spot. Clue #2 - I ask if I need to grab my purse and he says no! It was a beautiful moment - peaceful and not yet filled with Parisians and tourists. The photographer who captured the proposal followed us around Paris the rest of the morning for an engagement photo shoot! We can't wait to share this next chapter of our lives with you!