Niklos and I met our freshman year of college during a block party. We quickly became best friends, spending most of our time together. However, I started to realize I had feelings for him, but kept my feelings to myself for fear of ruining our friendship. My roommates tried to convince me to "seduce" him by baking cookies and confessing my love for him, but I was patient. After two years and a whole lot of life change, Niklos FINALLY asked me on a date. We began our dating relationship in May of 2016. Over the past three years, we've been through a lot, but he has remained a constant and has encouraged and supported me every step of the way. This past August, we got engaged, and I can't wait to marry my best friend!

When planning a proposal, I knew I wanted to do something special. I wanted it to be big, but ultimately I wanted it to be a quiet private moment together that we would remember forever. In May 2019 I had recently accepted an internship in Chicago for the summer, so I knew I had to get a ring before I left. I found the perfect one the day before I left, and worked out a plan for it to be shipped to me in Chicago. I spent the summer scheming and coming up with the perfect plan. Kathleen and I have always had a love for national parks and a strong desire to live out west. So I booked two tickets to Denver without telling her. She was planning on coming to visit me in Chicago the last week I was there, but I had other plans. On the drive up I told her we were going to be taking a trip to Colorado with nothing but a carry on. She was a trooper and I knew more than ever she was the one. We got to Denver, rented a car and drove to Rocky Mountain National Park. We took a hike up to a beautiful mountain lake and that's where I popped the question. It was just us, quiet, beautiful and perfect.