It all started in 2019 at Wheaton College - Kay and Ayo were paired together for an afternoon of yard work as volunteers for Honduras Project (HP is a student-lead organization which aims to provide clean water to rural Honduras). It was 4 hours of freezing cold, torrential rain, and generally lackluster conditions, but love flourishes in the most unexpected places. Unbeknownst to either of them, that moist afternoon of non-stop conversation kicked off the beginning of something special. Ayo finally asked Kay on a first date in November. What followed was another long afternoon, filled to the brim with all of her favorite things: sushi, dogs, and games (s/o to the Hubbard family). Clearly the man had been paying attention during their conversations. Alas, disaster struck -- Ayo would be moving back to California and they would never see each other again, unless he could join HP's spring break trip to Honduras. To be honest, it wasn't really a huge deal because he was able to go. Had you there for a second though :). So, their whirlwind romance continued in Honduras. A week of digging trenches, late nights under the stars, and Ayo successfully translating 1 out of 1200 jokes into Spanish only strengthened their growing connection. All seemed to be going well until BOOM! COVID-19. They took the last flight out of Honduras, not knowing if they would see each other ever again. Returning to a long distance relationship created opportunities to have deep, serious conversations about their beliefs, hopes, and dreams for the future. Faith, political unrest, and the uncertain nature of the pandemic provided challenging topics to discuss via Facetime. These conversations proved instrumental in establishing trust and vulnerability. (Of note, they are still not officially dating at this point). August 2020 - Ayo flies out to Illinois. Finally what we've all been waiting for! Their relationship became official. Fast forward after many many months of long distance dating, Ayo moves out to Chicago in 2022. Sunday night dinners with friends, long walks by the lake, and games filled weekends together. Kay's acceptance into PA school in Arizona could've been another point of tension and opportunity for them to never see each other again. But you know how it goes by now. Moving to Phoenix in August 2023 during record breaking heat brought new challenges - building community, adjusting to new routines, and staying cool. They were excited to meet these challenges together as it was the closest they've lived to each other, a mere 15 minutes away. With each move they grew closer in love for one another. One warm fall day, Ayo popped the question on October 16, 2024 on a hike among the yellow aspens of Flagstaff. Of course, Kay said yes!! A note from the authors: we are so excited to share this day with you and to have you a part of the beginning of a new chapter in our story.