Officially, our story began in May 2012, although it could have been much earlier. There were more than a few opportunities. We grew up only two miles apart, were both active in sports, attended rival high schools, and went to Penn State as undergrads. We must've crossed paths during that time, only to just miss each other. (Although, the earliest, verifiable date where we were in the same place at the same time is February 22, 2011, listening to Herman Boone speak in the Eisenhower Auditorium at Penn State.) Thankfully, we didn't miss each other on May 12, 2012. Nick's mom was getting married, and Kelly was there as best friend to Nick’s soon-to-be step-sister, Alyssa. We "met on the dance floor," which isn't all that unusual, but we danced a waltz, which certainly is all that unusual (mostly because Nick had taken a few ballroom dancing lessons at Penn State, and the waltz was the only dance he was not downright awful at performing). Since then we've spent as much time together as we can—loving every minute of it. We’re so thankful for our loved ones here and in heaven for the role they played in bringing us together.

On Saturday, September 24, 2016 we stopped at Nick’s mom’s house. We were headed to a friend’s party afterwards (or so I thought). As Nick got ready, I went outside to play with Tyson, the family dog. After a few minutes, Nick asked his mom where his sister was. Donna said that Rachel was down by the creek taking photos of deer that had passed through the backyard. With this news, Nick suggested we say goodbye before heading out. Although I expressed my worry that we'd ruin her photos, Nick insisted we go towards the creek. He took my hand and we headed down the hill in the backyard and into the woods, slowly and quietly. We found Rachel and after talking about the deer that had run off, Nick asked if I wanted to go on the fallen tree that lay across the creek. Without thinking twice, I said, “of course.” Nick helped me up then began singing, “I’ve Had the Time of my Life.” Naturally, we both started dancing as Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey do in Dirty Dancing (still, I had no idea what was happening as singing/dancing spontaneously is pretty normal for us). Suddenly, Nick shared that he had something in his pocket and stopped dancing. Afraid he was about to drop his phone, I told him to be careful (I was clueless). With a look of determination, Nick slowly knelt down on one knee and pulled out a white box. His eyes then gazed up at me and he said, “I’m so happy, so lucky, and so in love with you, Kelly. And I’m so excited to finally be able to ask, will you marry me?” I shrieked, “Is this for real?” While my heart beat fast through my chest, I looked at Nick again for confirmation, and said a resounding, "YES!" We kissed, hugged, and he told me to look to my left. The whole time Rachel had been taking photos of us! It was already the happiest moment of my life and it got even sweeter when I learned that my family was on their way to celebrate.