Kristen and I both grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta, GA but never crossed paths until we found ourselves at the University of Florida. Funny enough, I had heard about her before we even met! One of my best friends, who knew Kristen from Camp Sunshine, told me I should keep an eye out for her because we’d be great friends. He couldn’t have been more right. We finally met during our sophomore year at a joint event between my fraternity and her sorority. I remember boarding the bus for the event and sitting near the back when a group of girls walked in. We all started chatting and introduced ourselves. When Kristen said her name, I couldn’t believe it—I was meeting the Kristen O’Brien! From that moment, our friendship took off. Timing was never my strong suit, though. Our first date was just two days before Kristen left for a semester-long study-abroad trip to Europe. But even though the timing was off, the connection was there, and I knew it wouldn’t be our last date. Fast forward to our senior year, Kristen was back from Europe, and we reconnected. Around Halloween, I invited her to my fraternity’s date night, which had a costume theme. To sweeten the deal, I told her there was a $100 prize for the best costume (there wasn’t). After some thought, Kristen agreed, and she went all out on the costume. We had a blast that night, and if there had been a prize, we definitely would’ve won. From that night on, we talked every day and quickly fell in love. Five years later, I began planning the proposal. I wanted to propose at Lake Oconee where Kristen parents's have a house, and I knew it was important for her grandma to be there, so I decided to propose Mother’s Day weekend. Her grandma was already coming for a visit, so I didn't raise any suspicions. Both our families knew about the plan and definitely deserve Emmy awards for keeping it all together! On a perfect day, we boated over to Cuscowilla, and I asked Kristen to marry me on the dock, surrounded by the people who mean the most to us. I’ll never forget that moment for the rest of my life, and I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to ask my best friend to marry me. She said yes, and now we can’t wait to begin the next chapter of our lives together.