The way that Zack and I met will always be my favorite love story. Zack and my brother John had been good friends for many years while they both attended the United States Naval Academy. They both played lacrosse together and created a very special bond, especially during the peak of COVID, when both boys spent the summer at the Academy. I traveled to Annapolis with my mother and sister toward the end of Summer 2020 to go see my brother and bring him some pieces of home after a very long and homesick few months. While visiting, I met Zack for the very first time. We spoke briefly, but at the end of the night, the boys had to return to campus, and I was also heading back to college that next day. A whole school year passed and Zack and I's brief interaction felt like a distant memory to me. However, our paths crossed again at my brother's graduation in the Spring of 2021. Again, Zack and I said a quick hello and that was all. I always wondered about him, but never thought we would ever have a chance to really meet each other as we were both heading in opposite directions with our lives and careers. However, I now understand the saying "third time's a charm" because during the Fall of 2021, Zack needed a date for the Naval Academy ring dance and expressed his concerns to my brother one night while out downtown. John suggested that Zack ask me, as he knew we had met a few times already and that we would get along well. Lo and behold, my prince charming did not come in on a white horse, but with a text message asking me if I was free the weekend of September 18th, 2021. I showed all my friends the text that night and asked everyone's opinion, "do I go or not go? I barely know this guy!" My friends convinced me that it would be fun to go, and even if nothing came of it, at least I got to dress up and get away from campus for the weekend. I texted Zack letting him know that I would love to come with him, and I couldn't wait. I drove down to Annapolis the weekend of the ring dance from Bethlehem, PA, and was so anxious but excited at the same time. Zack and I hung out all Friday night, finally getting to really know each other and have more than just a fleeting conversation. He made me laugh all night, and we danced until the bar closed down. The next day was the ring dance, and while I was getting ready to go, I had such a great feeling about Zack. I knew that there was something special between the both of us because of the way we connected so easily on that first night. When the weekend came to a close and it was time for me to head back to Lehigh, Zack and I knew that we had to see each other again. We made plans for him to come up to Lehigh the next weekend, and just like the ring dance weekend, there was no denying that Zack and I were falling in love. We saw each other three weekends in a row, and started dating on October 3rd, 2021. We have been inseparable since Day 1, and we are both so thankful that God continued to put us in each others' path. A special thank you to John is in order as well as he was really the catalyst for our relationship, and for the fact that he didn't get mad at me when I told him I started dating his best friend :). Thank you to all of our friends and family who supported our whirlwind of a love story from the very beginning as well, you all have inspired our relationship in so many ways. We cannot wait to be married and celebrate with you all. Cheers!