Our story starts with Eli bullying Lauren in middle school...or at least Lauren's version of the story. In reality, it was a Snapchat during junior year of high school. Some may say it was a storybook high school relationship, Prom King and Queen (and Homecoming but who's counting), State Track and Robotics. They even dated throughout the first year of college (Eli at UW -Whitewater and Lauren at UW - Madison), a feat many high school sweethearts don't accomplish. However, the summer after freshman year of college, Eli and Lauren parted ways, knowing that they had to do some growing on their own. But as they say, if it's meant to be, it'll be, and we can all be honest and say that Eli was always in the back of Lauren's mind. She reached out to him on Halloween and Thanksgiving of 2021, and they met for a 'coffee catch up' at Fairtrade Coffee on State Street in Madison that lasted three hours. While her roommates were frantically checking her phone's location to make sure they didn't skip town, Lauren and Eli realized that they both grew in a lot of ways, and that maybe they made their way back to each other for a reason. Once they officially were 'back together,' Eli moved to Madison and began working after he graduated early in the Winter of 2021. After Lauren's graduation, the two prepared for their next adventure: moving to Colorado Springs, CO after Lauren accepted an aerospace engineering position. It was no secret that both of them were in it for the long haul, and this move was only the first step in a lifetime of commitment to each other (the biggest being their adoption of Walter the cat and Blue the dog, obviously). Eli proposed to Lauren in their hometown, East Troy, WI, on July 1, 2023, right where their love story started. They celebrated with their families, ate brunch, and of course, played Love Story by Taylor Swift at least 15 times over the course of their time back home in Wisconsin. They are so excited to begin their lives together with all of their loved ones in a place they have called home for the last few years. Marriage will only include a lifetime of thrifting, Saturday coffee runs and happy hour drinks, and they can't wait to celebrate with everyone soon! Written by Abby Buchholz