Jordan and Patrick were first introduced via mutual friends during the fall semester of their second and third years respectfully, on the campus of Belmont Abbey College. Both Jordan and Patrick can attest to having felt an immediate force of attraction in those first moments. However, Cupid's arrow had not yet struck either party in a way that would bear immediate fruit in the form of love at first sight. Perhaps due to a combination of them each being focused on other outlets, like school and sports, and the need to experience more personal growth individually, it would take the passing of two full years before the universe would bring them together in a moment that allowed them to see each other in a new light. Specifically, the low lights of the notorious bar and night club Prohibition, a venue known more for cheap beer, sticky floors, and terrible music than for igniting the flames that feed lasting love. Following that night spent dancing together among friends, eating slices at Fuel Pizza, and exchanging more than a small amount of playful banter, they quickly found themselves wanting to pass more and more time in each other's company over the next few weeks. Moving ahead to the night of September 6th, 2013, a date which happened to be both the night of the President's Ball and Patrick's birthday, Patrick would twice ask Jordan the question that had been on his mind for some time. Being a person of great consideration, Jordan would first playfully dismiss Patrick's request that they make their courtship official, out of not wanting their potential anniversary to coincide with his birthday. However, Patrick persisted and in response to his second attempt, she found no desire to once again dismiss him and excitedly accepted. It appeared Cupid's arrow had finally struck home. Thus were the humble beginnings of the relationship we will come to honor in matrimony on New Years' Eve of this year, 2020.

Only minutes into their short hike from camp up to Cold Mountain's 6,030' summit, Jordan had already noticed that Patrick's behavior displayed a nervousness not warranted by anything in the setting of that quiet wooded trail. She had not yet come to know three truths she would later learn about that morning. These truths were: 1) Patrick had not shared the fact that he had already completed this hike before she had awoken. 2) After descending back to their campsite, he had called Jordan's dad Vince and the two had shared a conversation of utmost importance. 3) His right pocket concealed a small black box that up until that point in their three-day hike had been tucked away in his pack and had been purchased some months in advance of the trip. Upon reaching the summit and stepping out into the clearing, they were greeted by a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains that cannot be described in this space with due justice. At that moment, the realization of why her best friend and boyfriend of 5 years had insisted they embark on this ascent so early in the morning was allowed to rise to Jordan's full conscious awareness. As she turned to him, he carried out that same movement that has permeated our culture for so many years. With Patrick balanced lightly on one knee, Jordan felt and heard the promise of a lifetime. Without the slightest pause, she gave the affirmative "yes". There, with the Blue Ridge as a witness, Patrick and Jordan agreed to join together in marriage. Two years later, the date is now set for them to officially wed on the last night of 2020.