It was the fall of 2017, Jacob had just gotten settled into the Dogwood dorms for his sophomore year at Mizzou and Monica had just gotten settled into the Gillette dorms for her freshman year at Mizzou. During that first week on campus where everyone is in a rush to get to know all their new neighbors, Jacob had gone to hang out in the Dogwood lobby to get more aquanted with the other students living at Dogwood Floor 3. There was a small group of guys sitting at one of the tables in the corner playing a rowdy game of Uno. Jacob of course decided to join them, as did other people who would pass by and see what was becoming an increasingly intense game, until eventually a small game of uno had become a large 9 person competition. One of those newcomers, unbeknown to Jacob at the time, would become his future wife. Monica of course, being the extremely competitive type, had become one of the louder individuals in the group, and Jacob, as a loud individual himself, was quickly drawn to her. That group of Uno players all became quick friends, prompting Jacob and Monica's first group chat together, named “Game time.” Over the course of that year at Mizzou, Monica and Jacob became very close friends spending many evenings playing sand volleyball or studying in the Gillette hall study rooms. During Jacob's junior year, Monica would always swipe him into the dining halls so that they could eat together and catch up. Monica would always, make sure to look her best during these lunches, something an oblivious Jacob never quite caught on to. Nevertheless, during these lunches Jacob had really begun to be drawn to Monica's smile and was constantly trying to make her laugh. Jacob always admired the positive and bright energy Monica brought wherever she would go. During those lunches and many walks to and from class Monica was drawn to Jacob's welcoming and goofy personality and loved how much he made her laugh. Monica and Jacob stayed really close friends throughout college, both of them stepping close to the idea of becoming romantic but each of them too nervous to ruin what was a beautiful friendship. Jacob eventually had to leave for law school in Miami, and according to both him and Monica, both felt as if they had left too many things unsaid. However, Monica and Jacob would always find excuses to reach out to each other and would text off and on for about two years. Then while planning a trip to Florida with some friends, Monica asked if she could spend a few days in Miami with Jacob. Jacob of course agreed and was excited to catch up with one of his best friends. During those few days in sweltering Miami, Monica and Jacob hit it off immediately, and it went right back to being like they had never been apart. It wasn’t until Jacob was on the way to drop Monica off at the airport that he began to really struggle with the thought that it would be the last time they would see each other for another couple of years. Jacob and Monica parted ways sad and confused about what to do next, neither of them really wanting to do a long distance relationship, but neither of them wanting it to be the last time they saw each other. Over the next couple of weeks, and at Monica’s prompting, Jacob and Monica had continued to call and text every day. To try and break the ice on the topic of dating while Jacob was still in Miami, Jacob sent flowers to Monica’s classroom on her first day of school, as a new elementary school teacher in St. Louis, which of course were a hit. That prompted what would be many long conversations about what Jacob and Monica wanted and how they felt, which led to thier decision to finally try dating, even if it was long distance. Which of course is how we get here!