On Valentine's Day in 2018, Rachel asked her friend Eli if he had any friends who were "cute and single." Eli recommended to Rachel some guy on his floor. Rachel went to that guy's Instagram page to find a "Happy Valentine's Day" post to his girlfriend of three years...Thanks, Eli. Rachel asked if Eli knew anyone else, and Eli said, "Well, there's Kyle." Rachel found Kyle's Instagram and was immediately hooked. Heart. Eyes. Emoji. Now, Rachel was very shy and timid, but shot her shot on multiple occasions. Kyle ignored it all, and Rachel decided in April of that year that maybe they would just be friends. Plus, Rachel had been going after Kyle for 2 months to no avail, and neither of them wanted to start a long-distance relationship just a month before their summer break started. Kyle is from Mishawaka, IN, and Rachel is from Orleans, IN, which is about a 4-hour drive. Thanks, Eli. Over the summer, Rachel had moved on and found other things and people to occupy her time with, but one summer night just a few weeks before their sophomore year began, Rachel reached out once again. Kyle decided to finally give this girl a shot when they got back to Indiana State in August. Kyle and Rachel's first date was on August 24, 2018. They went to Panera Bread to which Kyle drove them in his yellow VW Beetle. Rachel still teases Kyle about how he missed the turn for Panera Bread 3 times before he actually turned into the correct lot. After the mac n cheese bread bowls and soups, they went back to Hines Hall where they both lived. In Hines, there is one elevator that goes to the even floors (floors 2, 4, 6, etc) and one elevator that goes to the odd floors (3, 5, 7, etc). Kyle lived on the 7th floor while Rachel lived on the 4th floor. It was at this point that the date was "supposed to" have ended, but while they were waiting on their separate elevators, Rachel told Kyle she didn't want the date to be over yet. So, Kyle went back to his room to change into something more comfy, and Rachel and Kyle reconvened in Rachel's room, staying up until 4:00 AM watching the dumbest "scary" Netflix movies they could find, and talking about life in general. Thanks, Eli! Things went on in a similar fashion for about 3 weeks, when Kyle asked Rachel to be his girlfriend on 9/12/18, "because you can't ask a girl out on 9/11" (yes, this is literally what Kyle said). Honestly, the rest has been history. The couple finished college together and then moved in together in July of 2022, and got engaged in December of 2022. Kyle and Rachel's relationship has withstood not only the test of time, but the test of distance (both long distance and social distancing), the test of moving in together, the test of owning a rambunctious Border Collie puppy together, and several other tests (did we mention that they were in the same Environmental Science Lab their freshman year, and didn't even know it?!) Over 5.5 years later, Kyle and Rachel just have one thing to say as they prepare to become husband and wife: Thanks, Eli.