In the spring of 2018, Kendra was just a few weeks away from graduating from the University of Evansville. Meanwhile, Alex, who had graduated in 2016, was still in the area, beginning his broadcasting career at the university. We'd crossed paths a few times over the years (it's a small student body, after all), but we'd never really gotten to know each other. One night, Kendra and her friends decided to hit up Franklin Street for a fun night out (you know the deal). While we were at one of the bars, Alex, always the confident one, strolled up to Kendra and offered to buy her a drink. Kendra, who had recently re-entered the single scene and was a bit rusty in the flirting department, turned him down. Unfazed, Alex went back to his friends, and Kendra returned to hers. But as the evening went on and the days passed, Kendra couldn't shake the feeling that she'd missed out. She confided in her best friend, who happened to be dating one of Alex's buddies, about how cute and nice she thought Alex was and how she wished she'd chatted with him more. About a week later, Kendra and her friend cooked up a plan to give her a second shot with Alex. They called it "Operation Sand Volleyball." With graduation looming, Kendra and her crew organized a pick-up sand volleyball game with Alex and his friends. As one of the team captains, Kendra made sure to strategically pick Alex #1 overall. We didn't exactly win that night, but it didn't dampen the mood. After the game, we all headed to the Sig Ep house to continue the fun. At some point, Kendra's best friend spilled the beans to Alex's friend about Kendra's crush. Armed with this newfound knowledge, Alex sought out Kendra and asked her to dance. That night, we talked and danced and danced and talked. It marked the beginning of a nearly month-long streak of hanging out every day. But just as things were heating up, Alex had to return to California (he thought it'd be a permanent move back home), and Kendra was headed to Baltimore for graduate school. Not wanting to let this fizzle out as a summer fling, Alex made a bold move. Just days before boarding a plane to Los Angeles, he asked Kendra to be his girlfriend. And just like that, we embarked on a long-distance relationship, with no idea of the incredible adventures and memories that lay ahead. As they say, the rest is history.

It was the Friday before Father’s Day, and we packed up the car to head to Newburgh, IN to spend the weekend with Kendra’s family. A couple months prior, Kendra’s mom (Cecelia) had reached out to all 4 daughters to plan a surprise Father’s Day celebration for Kendra’s dad. (Paul) The surprise went off without a hitch! Paul seemingly did not see it coming. (Kendra would later find out that her dad could have earned an Academy Award for that performance—he had obviously been in on everything!) The weekend kicked off with a backyard BBQ and overly competitive yard games galore. The plan for the next day was for the girls to go out for manicures and pedicures and then meet up with the guys for dinner, followed by bar hopping to celebrate Korissa’s (Kendra’s youngest sister) 21st birthday. The afternoon went exactly as planned. Shortly after leaving the nail salon, Kendra noticed that her mom was taking a weird route to the restaurant. When Cecelia turned into the University of Evansville, Kendra started to get suspicious. Katelyn (Kendra’s older sister) got out of the car and told Kendra there was a surprise waiting for her. She handed Kendra a piece of paper—the first clue in a 5-part scavenger hunt. If the clicking of a camera in the nearby bushes (Alex had arranged for Kendra’s cousin, Rebecca, to follow along and take photos) didn’t confirm Kendra’s suspicions, the first few lines of the clue did. Immediately, Kendra teared up as she realized what was about to happen. The clue led Kendra to the UE sand volleyball courts, where she found her best friend Kristen Fowler waiting. *cue the ugly crying* The scavenger hunt took Kendra to several memorable places on campus—Sig Ep, North Hall, the baseball field, and Eykamp Hall. At each location, Kendra’s closest friends—Jordan Buechler, Kiersten Hasenour, and Sophie Rottenberg—were waiting with another clue and a hug. As Kendra followed the clues, she felt a growing sense of excitement and anticipation. She knew the grand finale would somehow be even better than the journey of finding all of her friends along the scavenger hunt route but couldn’t imagine how that could be possible. When Kendra arrived at what she thought was the final stop on the journey, all of her friends prompted her to make a pitstop at the restroom first. Unsure why they were so set on her going to the restroom, Kendra went in anyway and found several outfit options, make up, hair tools, etc laid out for her. Alex knew Kendra would want the chance to pull herself together before he popped the big question. After collecting herself, Kendra entered Eykamp Hall, expecting to find Alex waiting. But he was no where to be found. Instead, the room was set up like a movie theater, with a projector ready to play a video on a giant screen. After an opening video from Alex himself recapping how we had met and all the big milestones we had hit during our 5 years together, the video transitioned into a montage of clips from our family and close friends. After the emotional screening Alex came out on stage ready for the big moment. Kendra and Alex made their way to one another, teary eyed, and embraced for a few moments, before Alex took Kendra’s hand, got down on one knee, pulled out a small leather box, and popped the question. After an immediate “YES!” from Kendra, we spent a couple of minutes soaking in the moment. Tons of laughter, countless questions. But the surprises weren't over yet. Alex took Kendra’s hand again and led her to the room next door. Alex opened the door to reveal the final surprise of the day—a special dinner for all our friends and family who had come to celebrate! The waterworks resumed as we got to hug and say hello to all of our loved ones. Our engagement was easily the BEST night of our lives (so far)! We are so excited to celebrate our wedding with even more family and friends!