We can't wait to see you

When looking back on how we met, it makes sense why we get along together so well. We were both going about our daily lives and ended up seeing each other everywhere due to similar interests and hobbies. We were both taking classes at UC Clermont, went to the same gym, and would see each other at cross country meets. This still wasn't enough for Maria though, which her public speaking professor can attest to, as she would skip that class every week to attend a study session Jared led for a biology class they took together. She even went so far as to spill her coffee on Jared when he was sitting in front of her. Jared returned the favor after about a year of seeing each other everywhere when he asked her to go hiking at East Fork on a date. Little did they know this is where they would get engaged nearly five years later.

On February 13, 2021, Maria woke up and started to send a text to her roommates that she had a suspicion Jared was going to propose to her on that day (she says she "just knew," or maybe Jared wasn't sneaky enough and she feels bad telling him that). Meanwhile, Jared was packing up a geocache box he created that had the ring, pictures, and other items in it to hide in the woods at East Fork on a hike. Maria and Jared had geocached in the past and Jared was hoping he would be able to surprise her when she opened it up to find the ring. Jared's sister-in-law and brother Hannah and Luke came along to help Jared place the cache so somebody else didn't randomly find it first. They all hiked through the snow and crossed an icy creek to setup the moment for Maria to be surprised. She said it was the easiest "yes" of her life.