She’s almost a (stage 5) Clinger.

Some friends and I decided to venture to an off-campus fraternity party one Friday night. It was late August, and we’d just finished a week of dance team boot camp. We were huddled in a circle, chatting about sorority rush and the upcoming “no booze, no boys” rule, when someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked why I was on my phone at a party. I nervously scanned the crowd, worried that I seemed awkward or uncomfortable before realizing the intent behind the comment and what was actually happening. Because lots of people there were on their phones. That “pick-up” line turned into a long conversation, where we somehow ended up discussing our childhoods and hometowns and realized we both loved Joey’s Pancake House in Maggie Valley, N.C. Before walking away with Chris Cotillo, he asked to put his number in my phone because his was dead. This left the next move in my hands. I let a few days pass to keep him waiting before continuing the conversation. After a few scrolls through my contacts, I found “Austin – Tampa.” I finally settled on: "Hey, it's Lidia - girl from Clyde.” Not long after, we kissed on the Davie Poplar bench without realizing its significance (if you don't know, legend has it that kissing on this bench secures your fate as lifelong partners). Here we are, almost seven years later, many Canadian road trips and Scott's Cheap Flights finds under our belts, and I still think he's the only person I could stand to ride in a car with for 20 hours straight.

On Nov. 30, 2019, we had breakfast at this adorable cafe called "The Breakfast Club," walked around the Innsbruck Christmas markets, marveling at the scenery, and drank one too many cups of hot Gluhwein. At 2 p.m., we hopped on the Nordkette cable car to see the Swiss Alps. Austin wasn't interested in taking photos once we reached the top of the mountain, which bothered me at the time, because all I wanted to do was take photos. He'd been monitoring the weather all day, so I assumed he was just really eager to see the view before the clouds settled in. (In reality, he was scoping everything out to make sure the lighting was good for the photographer.) I took matters into my own hands and decided to take a video of this stunning overlook that wasn't crowded with tourists. Right as I was about to finish the video, Austin aggressively tugged my shoulder, causing me to drop his phone in the snow while it was still recording. He was one knee, staring at me with watery eyes. My brain was so overstimulated from the view and the proposal that I didn't even say yes. I could barely form a coherent sentence. Glad we have an official transcript of that. In my defense, "yes" didn't feel adequate, anyway. It was understood for a long time.