Jacob and Mina met in the most ideal circumstances - surrounded by food. They were both doing their weekly grocery shopping at the local Roanoke Kroger, when Mina's "UVA Rescue" t-shirt caught Jacob's eye. Ever the conversationalist, he asked Mina if UVA was her alma mater. Amidst the ice cream and other frozen confections, Mina confirmed his suspicions and asked the requisite "did you go to UVA too?". Jacob savored the opportunity to reply "nah, me and most of my family went to Virginia Tech." As Mina considered the merits of ending the conversation right then and there, Jacob redeemed himself by mentioning that his parents had met at the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad. They exchanged a few more pleasantries, realizing they had a lot more in common than they thought, despite their rival collegiate experiences. They then bid one another goodbye and went their separate ways without ever even exchanging names. That is, until they ran into each other again in the next aisle. They exchanged names, handshakes, and good vibes. The rest, as they say, is history.

Jacob surprised Mina with "early dinner plans" in Winston-Salem, with a plan to check out a Greek spot they'd never been to. Being the Mediterranean food enthusiast that she is, Mina was all for it. While en route, Jacob took the opportunity to make a pit stop at a scenic overlook in the area. As he and Mina strolled down the path to the overlook, they marveled at the beautiful lake and rock formations surrounding them. They noticed the fence surrounding the overlook was covered in locks of various sizes, some engraved with the initials of loved ones. Mina noted "we'll have to come back sometime with one for us!" Jacob smiled and agreed. They took a few selfies (as is the millennial way), and started walking back to the car. Jacob stopped halfway through, turned to face Mina, and said "well, actually, I did bring a lock..." He proceeded to pull out a lock, their initials engraved on it, and challenged Mina to guess the 4-digit code to unlock it. Mina confidently keyed in 1-0-0-3, the date of their anniversary...and was surprised to find the lock didn't open! "Think harder, love" Jacob encouraged her along. As she wracked her brain, a smile came to her face as it dawned on her that Jacob was focusing on their future. She keyed in 1-0-0-9, the date of their impending nuptials, and the lock opened! Mina looked up to find Jacob down on one knee and promptly lost her composure. "I love you and I like you", he said "will you marry me?" Easiest "yes" ever.