We met through mutual friends on an OSU game day (go bucks). At first glance, we dismissed one another, both assuming the other was too hot to be interesting. We quickly realized, however, that there were common interests between us. Learning that Heather was a childhood Harry Potter fan was enough to convince Fred to stick around for the barhop. The night ended with Fred inviting Heather to his apartment to meet his cat and check out his DJ gear. We parted that night with matching crushes. The following months came with challenges in the form of distance, and a global pandemic. Nevertheless, each and every difficulty felt immensely lighter when we were together, and the trials further solidified our mutual certainty about the relationship. We are forever grateful for the support of our family and close friends for helping us when we had to bend, but making sure we never broke. Fast forward to December of 2021, we moved into our first home together, happier than ever to be merging everything from our furniture, to our furry children. Pressure made diamonds in our case.

We arrived in Portofino, Italy with our friends EZ and Frank, following a long drive from Northern Germany (where we attended the wedding of another close friend) the previous day. The conclusion of the traveling stint of the journey was enough to warrant a quick start to the celebration. Despite being in coastal Italy (and in love), the possibility of a proposal could not have been further from Heather's mind, as Fred had assured her, in response to multiple inquiries, that he was still some months away from making the big purchase. Fred, on the other hand, was sweating through his shirt from nerves. All dressed up, champagne well-popped, we made our way to the town square just below our flat for a speedy, pre-dinner photoshoot. Fred unnecessarily feigned impatience and hunger in an effort to throw Heather off the scent. Moments later, we were soft-smiling at the camera when Fred turned towards Heather and began describing how much she means to him. She remained hopelessly befuddled until he separated from her -reaching into his pocket- and knelt to one knee. This was around the time when Heather "blacked out" in shock, missed the important question, and proceeded to snatch the new jewelry out of Fred's hand (first timer). We recovered, and the answer was "yes." After achieving the "fiancé" titles, the four of us made our way up the hills, flanked by the Ligurian Sea, to a restaurant at the very peak of town. We enjoyed, celebrated, and cried happy tears in the most beautiful place, and left with memories that will last a lifetime. We are over the MOON excited to celebrate the beginning of our next chapter with you! See you in October!