We first met at Army ROTC morning workouts in 2017. Being students at Lindenwood we were both placed in the same platoon and trained together. We were drawn to each other’s energetic personalities and formed a group of ROTC friends that would get together after training events. We both unspokenly admired one other and cherished the friendship, but the love story didn’t begin until summer of 2019. Hiking, kayaking, and other adventures led the friendship to reveal our true connection with one another. Our friends and family saw the happiness glow in us, and from the moment we were together everything just felt right.

Kody called all their friends to a reunion, to recreate the night everyone went ice skating the year before. Maddie thought it was just a reunion from last year’s ice skating trip, what she didn’t know, was that all of their friends were in on the big surprise. The now-double-in-size friend group gathered for a picture, then Kody got down on one knee, opened his parent’s wedding ring box, and popped the question. Ice and hearts were melted