Courtney and Devin met through a mutual friend in their undergrad years at St. Ben's and St. John's. Their friendship evolved from there, largely due to the fact that Devin kept inviting himself over to Courtney's apartment to chat, cook food, or try on her clothes and take silly pictures with her roommate. Courtney graduated from St. Ben's and moved to Japan to teach English while Devin remained in Minnesota to finish his last year of school. The two stayed in touch regularly during that year through Skype and a handful of letters. Two days after Courtney returned from Japan in 2014, she and Devin connected for coffee and Devin expressed that he had feelings for her. Courtney was not interested in a romantic relationship and they decided to remain just friends. The next day, Devin jetted off to Washington state to begin volunteering with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Two months later, Courtney flew out to Washington to visit a friend (the same friend who introduced the two of them in college) and spent time on her trip there with Devin as well. During this time Courtney realized that she had feelings for Devin, too, and they decided to give dating a try. The timing was poor, with Devin living in Washington and Courtney slated to return to Japan for a second year. Yet the foundation of friendship sustained them through nearly two years of distance before they were re-united in Minneapolis in 2016. They have been hiking, cooking, traveling, and rock climbing together ever since!