Rachel and I first met in the Quad at Hillsdale College, on August 21, 2022, at around 6:50 P.M. It was a beautiful summer evening, and all of us new freshmen were busy mixing at an orientation event. I had spotted some of my friends standing in a circle talking with some women, and decided to take full advantage of the situation. I walked up and immediately noticed Rachel. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, and I remember thinking to myself that I would be content if I could date someone even half as cute. I was so lost in thought that when Rachel and her friends said goodbye and began to walk away, I realized I hadn’t even talked to her yet. I quickly wracked my brain for a charming one liner, just so she would know my face, and came up with “Hey what dorm are you staying in?” She replied “Olds,” over her shoulder and kept moving. It was awkward but cute, and I remember it in vivid detail. Rachel doesn’t remember it at all. The next few weeks were spent by me trying to get Rachel to notice me, and by her vaguely becoming aware of my existence. I finally managed to break through, according to her, when I went on a possibly nerdy rant about the masterful wordplay of Gwen Stefani’s song “Sweet Escape.” A few days later, I helped her with her Latin homework in the library (I was mostly faking it, so it ended up all being wrong. It now hangs inside a frame in my room as a reminder of the one useful thing my seven years of Latin ever did for me). Our thick skin and clear love of teasing quickly made us friends, and perhaps a little bit more. She asked me to walk with her to confession, and then after that to explore the school’s Arboretum, where I officially asked her on our first date. We ended up at Hillsdale’s premier Mexican restaurant and the site of many dates to come, El Cerritos. Another time we got ice cream and shared our first kiss on the banks of Baw Beese lake, along with the hundreds of other freshmen who have done the exact same thing. By this point I realized I didn’t want her to be snatched up by anyone else, so I asked her to be my girlfriend on September 24, 2022. Rachel and I both have earnestly loved getting to know each other a little more every day, and we have spent the three years we dated doing just that. We met and loved each others’ families, made new friends, and became better people together. I proposed to the future Mrs. Rachel Holford on November 29, 2025, on the beach at Mission Point Lighthouse in Traverse City. We are both so incredibly excited to begin this new phase of our life together, and so thankful to God for giving us the gift of each other. We can’t wait to celebrate with all of the loved ones who have loved us through our relationship and beyond! .