Jacob and Alysen met in September of 2018 in CYT Austin's production of "The Little Mermaid." She remembers him as the boy wearing crocs with a can of "Shush Spray," and he remembers her as the girl who was quite loud, but would shut up if he asked her to. A friendship blossomed throughout the remainder of their high school years and continued into their college years. While Jacob was at TCU, Alysen would make sure to visit him whenever she was in town visiting her Fort Worth family. They'd play board games, visit Sundance Square, and just talk for hours. At one point, she texted, asking "Do you find me annoying?" Jacob, naturally, holds the belief that that question warrants a lengthy response (which, in 3 paragraphs, boiled down to "yeah, kinda, but its not your fault"). After turning the question back on her, Jacob didn't get any texts for 55 days. An answer of itself. (Can you tell we're having fun writing this together?) ;) During summers and winter breaks, when they were both in college, they would hang out in larger parties with mutual friends, but Jacob quickly got tired of the large-group dynamic and invited Aly and a few other close friends to start playing board games with him. Surprising nobody, Jacob and Aly were the only two people who arrived at the posted start time for these smaller gatherings, so they had even more time to hang out individually. Their trust and appreciation for each other grew - for Aly, Jacob's honesty and integrity made him an ever-reliable source of advice and comfort. For Jacob, Aly's gregarious personality kept him on his toes and having fun. Now, they both enjoy the comfort of a clear communicator who always looks out for the other. Eventually (read: 5 years down the road), a romance blossomed out of this mutual friendship, but neither of them were ready to admit that to each other. Spring break of 2024, Aly and Jacob were the only single people at every party they found themselves invited, and Aly, in a panic, called her aunts and best friend Hailey (now her maid of honor) to convince herself she didn't have feelings for Jacob. Jacob was doing the same with his best friend Tommy (now his best man). Suffice it to say, nobody was convinced. Dating was a whirlwind of discovery (both self and mutual). Their first seven months together were semi-long-distance, with Aly in San Marcos for college and Jacob working in Georgetown & Round Rock. However, this meant that they learned quickly and early how to prioritize intentional time with one another to make sure their love stayed strong, even if it meant driving almost 3 hours round trip just to see one another during a 30 minute lunch break. The Type-A people that they both are, Aly and Jacob would have monthly goals and check-ins for their relationship, which helped keep honest and accountable communication thriving even from such a peculiar circumstance. They learned how to be with each other in difficult times, appreciate quiet moments together, express their needs, and also just how to date and have fun. It was not terribly long before they knew they wanted to set goals for each other for the rest of their lives. On January 24, Jacob took Aly to the coffee shop where they had their first date and the park where they had their first kiss, where he then proposed on the train tracks (saying, much to Aly's dismay, that "we're on track to be together the rest of our lives"). Luckily, Aly finds his dumb jokes rather amusing.