We first met at Illinois Tech in 2015 where we both attended undergrad. We both swam with the Illinois Tech D3 Swimming and Diving team which is ultimately what brought us together. We were teammates for nearly 3 years (and roommates for ~1 year!) before we started dating in spring of 2018.

In 2019 when I graduated from Illinois Tech, I moved to Nashville, TN for my first job while Grant stayed in Chicago to complete his masters degree. When I moved to Tennessee, I thought we would do long distance for one year and we would reconvene when Grant completed his masters. Little did I know we would develop and decide to pursue big dreams over that year! Grant decided he wanted to serve our country with the United States Navy as a submariner and I decided to pursue medical school. Over the the following year, I extended my time in Nashville to prepare for medical school applications while Grant began training for the Navy. Unfortunately, I was not accepted into medical school during my first application, so I opted to move to Charleston in the summer of 2021. This allowed us to be together while Grant completed his nuclear power training and I prepared for another round of med school applications. We anticipated we would have one year in Charleston before heading out to the next adventure. However, I was accepted to medical school in June 2022 and stayed in Charleston while Granted moved up to Norfolk, VA for his first duty station. We traveled up and down the East coast during this time and travel became a crucial part of our love story. Grant was able to move back to Charleson in May 2025 and we have enjoyed getting to live together again.

Grant had been planning to come to Charleston during Memorial Day weekend in 2024, however, the Navy had different plans. He needed to make his way to New York for a week-long training. We decided to make the most of this opportunity and take a trip to Vermont! I flew into Richmond and Grant picked me up from the airport and we continued the rest of the drive. It was somewhere in Connecticut that Grant decided this would be the ideal weekend to propose. He found a cute mansion-turned-hotel in the countryside where he booked our stay. The next day, we had a lovely breakfast on the patio overlooking the mountainside, hiked Mt Ascutney, and explored the American Precison Muesum before we headed to dinner for our reservation. Grant had wanted to take some pictures prior to dinner so we were wandering by the river to take some cute photos. Just as I was getting nervous we would be late to our reservation, Grant turned to me and said "I just have one question for you" as he knelt down on his knee and asked me to marry him. It was the easiest question I have ever answered!