We're getting married!

On a rainy Monday evening in April 2022, Melissa and Austin matched on Bumble. They immediately started talking about their common interests- baseball, musical theatre, and Abraham Lincoln. After talking for a little over a month, Austin and Melissa's schedules finally aligned and they had their first date at Bosse Field taking in an Evansville Otters' baseball game. They had a great time watching baseball and getting to know each other until the 5th inning when it started raining. The next hour was spent watching it rain and continuing to talk. They finally postponed the game for the night so it was time to brave the rain and head to their cars. Melissa must have known Austin was someone special, because despite all of the true crime documentaries she has watched, she let Austin get in her car and drive him to his car so he didn't have to walk in the pouring rain. After that first rainy date, they enjoyed lots of date nights at the rodeo, musicals, and just hanging out at Melissa's apartment. Austin was the first to introduce Melissa to his parents when they all attended a St. Louis Cardinals game where she impressed his dad with all her baseball knowledge. When it was Austin's turn to meet Melissa's parents, he made sure to wear his Bob Gibson jersey to the game to get brownie points from her dad. Austin and Melissa started spending more and more time together. They met each other's families and started spending as much time as their busy schedules would allow them. Austin stayed busy with his sports schedule and Melissa was working on her second Master's Degree. They celebrated their first Christmas together by surviving Covid and coming out of quarantine on Christmas Day. Melissa and Austin celebrated their first anniversary on April 11th, 2023 and started thinking about what a future together would look like. They spent their time discussing career goals and life goals and realized they didn't want to achieve any of those goals without the other person being right there with them. On August 26th, 2023 Austin asked Melissa if she would like to go to the last Otters Saturday night game of the season. Of course the game was delayed due to rain (just like their first date), but they eventually made it to about the spot where they first met in person. Austin then got down on one knee and asked Melissa to spend forever with him. It was the easiest question she had ever been asked. They then took in the game while calling, FaceTiming, and texting all of their close friends and family. With the support of Austin, Melissa survived biostatistics and completed her Master's of Healthcare Administration in December 2023. On March 1st, 2024 Austin and Melissa bought their first home and moved in together. They will officially become husband and wife on April 5th, 2025.