Ashleigh and I first met in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA on September 14, 2013, during the LSU vs. Kent State football game. Ashleigh was a Junior in her third year on the LSU Golden Girl dance team, and I, a Freshman & first-year Student Equipment Manager for the Tigers. The Golden Girls perform with the band every home football game. At the end of each show, the band exits to the sideline with the Golden Girls (Ashleigh) leading the charge. As she stopped 2 feet in front of me every time, eating my “halftime hot dog” on the sideline bench quickly became a weekly tradition. This is when we first saw each other, or at least when I first saw her… she, more or less, saw only my food. Thankfully, my second chance to meet Ashleigh came just a few weeks later during the Tiger Band Alumni Halftime show. As every Golden Girl is required to sit out during one halftime show each season, Ashleigh chose this show because it’s the longest halftime show of the year (I respect that). While sitting on the bench enjoying my halftime snack, I noticed Ashleigh seated nearby. After speaking to my friend for a while, Ashleigh turned to me, introduced herself, and asked my name. Nervous, I answered with a creative, but ill-advised pick-up line & thankfully, it made her laugh! Unfortunately, I left to throw my trash away & returned as Ashleigh was leaving the field. Now, I wouldn’t trade that terrible pick-up line & halftime hotdog for the world. Those moments gave me the confidence to speak up when our paths crossed again almost two years later & served as the inspiration for my proposal (in Tiger Stadium) just over a year later. While this story of “how we first met” may not seem like much, those “Saturday Nights in Death Valley” changed our lives for the better. Our compassion, pursuit of happiness, and undeniable love for one another has allowed us to discover a partner in life beyond what we could have ever imagined. Now, we start our new journey & marry two hearts into one.