We met in April of 2017, the spring semester of our sophomore year in college, through Isabel’s Pi Phi roommate and one of Paul's best friends. We were set up on a date, as a sort of “trial run” ahead of Sig Ep’s annual spring formal at Table Rock Lake at the lovely, never dull Green Valley Resort. The “trial run” date was to determine whether it would be a good fit for us to go to Formal together for a whole weekend (we were complete strangers at the time). At the time, Isabel was not looking for a boyfriend, just wanting to have fun! But we clicked right away on the date, which led us to attend formal together. At formal, we immediately just began acting as if we had been dating for awhile the whole weekend. It was the most natural connection either of us had ever felt, and we realized quickly that we wanted to be more than friends. We started going on more dates/hanging out after formal, which had only been three weeks before the end of the spring semester. With the end of the semester rapidly approaching, and with Isabel transferring to KU after sophomore year, we had some decisions to make. During the last week of school, Isabel texted Paul that she really liked him but understood if he didn't want to keep seeing her since she was transferring to KU. Paul responded right away that he wanted to keep seeing her and that going to KU wasn't a factor to him in pursuing a potential relationship with Isabel. We made it official that summer in June walking home from The Wheel when he asked me to be his girlfriend on Kentucky street around midnight. Fast forward 6 years later, having been through multiple life changes, moving, Isabel’s masters degree and Paul going to law school, we got engaged in October 2023 :) When we get married on April 5, 2025, we will have been together for almost 8 years! We both feel that distance in college ultimately drew us closer, that challenge in our respective graduate programs made us stronger and better at dealing with conflict, and that the best chapters in our lives are still yet to come. We can’t wait to celebrate our big day with all of you who made this special occasion possible!