We are getting married!

My sophomore year at Hanover, Shaina came to visit my roommate Yuding as they shared a mutual friend. I was sitting at my dorm desk with headphones when she walked in. I immediately got super awkward because she was ridiculously cute but they were speaking Chinese (Shaina always sounds aggressive when she is speaking Chinese), and I was too intimidated to even say hello. That weekend, I got back to my dormitory late and I thought "Well, it is now or never" so I added her on Facebook and hit her with the "What's up". Most of my friends were asleep and I had no idea what to invite her to so I just asked if she wanted to hang out and we could meet at the bench outside the dorm. Sketchy as it was, she agreed and we immediately hit it off. I ended up watching a movie with her and her entire friend group (like 6 people I had never met). That night I asked if she wanted to go to breakfast in the morning. My roommate immediately knew there was something special going on, because I never got up before 11 am on Saturdays. Turns out, we had the same sense of humor and after a month of hanging out I remember asking "So.... are we dating?", and I remember Shaina just laughing and saying "Really?? that's how you are going to ask?". That moment pretty much set the precedent for the next 7 years and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Friday, September 6, started out a little hectic: Ryan had an important presentation, I had a busy day at work, and we were having guests over for dinner for the first time! As 5 o'clock started to approach, I was worrying about our dinner thawing at our house. At the same time, Kim texted me that they can no longer join us for dinner as something had came up. Just as I got a sense of relieve, Amy (Ryan's sister) stopped by my office and dropped off a note for a scavenger hunt. I was very confused, but went with the flow thinking it was for her sorority/class project as my evening plans had just gotten canceled. Ryan sent me on a scavenger hunt with 7 clues to visit some friends and reminisce our times together. 1) Admissions Office - My Hanover mom 2) Kim's house - My partner in crime 3) Lambda's Wiffleball Field - Where we hung out during May term 4) The Point - The classic spot at Hanover that overlooks the Ohio River 5) Lynn Hall - Where we hung out 90% of the time since I lived there 6) Clemmons House - Which Ryan helped me make my home when I started my job at Hanover 7) THE BENCH - Where we first met As I started walking towards the bench, I saw Ryan sitting on the bench alone just as the day I met him. This time, he looks a little older and more nervous than the last time. Ryan handed me flowers and got down on one knee. My journey alone ended there as I said YES to his final riddle!