We met in the summer of 2019 on a float trip at Bass River Resort in rural Missouri. It was part of an annual tradition Nina and her vet school friends had — a way to relax after a busy academic year. That year, her friends Sam and Matt (now married) invited a few friends from Purdue to join, including Augie (or Johnmichael, depending on who you ask). Over the years, we kept seeing each other on that same trip and it quickly became something we both looked forward to — a weekend filled with late nights, early mornings, and more shared memories than we realized at the time. In the fall of 2021, we crossed paths again at Sam and Matt’s wedding. This time, we found out we were both living in Indianapolis. Nina was doing a rotating internship in veterinary medicine, and Augie was living downtown with his brother, Nic. Less than a month later, we went on our first date to St. Joseph’s Brewery. What followed was easy, steady, and full of the kind of love that feels like coming home. Fast forward three years later to December 2024, we came home after dinner to a house lit with candles, flowers, and photos from our time together. Augie proposed — and our dog Clark celebrated by helping himself to the ice cubes in the champagne bucket. We’ve grown together through seasons of change, challenge, and joy – and we can’t wait to begin the next chapter surrounded by the people who’ve been part of our story from the start.