In February 2014, Jenny and Brad met at a fateful college party where Brad immediately developed a crush. When he got her phone number from a friend, he didn't hesitate to ask her out for coffee (which he doesn't drink to Jenny's chagrin). Jenny was charmed by Brad's unabashed sense of humor, his curly hair, and quickly found that his reputation of being a 'nice guy' checked out, while Brad fell for her goofiness, her love of quality time, and the way she couldn't help but belt out her favorite songs. It didn't take long until Brad and Jenny were spending every waking moment together at Northwestern's Dance Marathon, football games, in the library, or hanging out with a growing repository of mutual friends.
After a tearful goodbye when Jenny left Northwestern for a semester in Copenhagen, the months of long distance truly made the hearts grow fonder. Brad spent Thanksgiving abroad with Jenny, which not only unlocked a mutual wanderlust for many international trips to come, but also demonstrated to each how much their relationship truly meant. When they got back to the states, they spent two remaining quarters together at Northwestern before Brad graduated and set out on a course of public service in Washington DC and Jenny finished school. Both made the challenging decision to opt for a long-distance relationship in order to develop young careers in DC and Chicago, knowing that the time would soon come when they could be together again permanently (but not soon enough!) They cherished the many weekend visits and vacations taken together, but after three years of long distance Brad and Jenny were more than ready to get an apartment together in Chicago. Less than a year later, while the world was rocked by a global pandemic, they adopted the sweetest puppy on earth, Pepper.
Alstead, NH holds a special place in Jenny and Brad's hearts: it's where Jenny spent every summer with her family growing up and where Brad and Jenny first talked about marriage. Brad had always known that the Lake Warren house would be where he'd propose to Jenny, given that it is her 'happy place' and had come to be one for Brad as well. So, on August 30, 2021, Brad convinced Jenny to get out of the house for a few hours while he "had to do a fantasy football draft." A laudable excuse. When she returned to the house, she found a trail of rose petals leading her to the lakeshore, where Brad popped the question. Moments later both of their families emerged from the house with champagne ready to celebrate the occasion they had long known was coming. Jenny and Brad are thrilled for this next chapter of their lives, and can't wait to celebrate with their closest friends and family.