Sam and Caroline first met in 2016 after starting school at the University of Georgia, where they both lived in Myers Hall. Their first encounter wasn’t exactly a scene from a romantic drama—Sam came back from the library one night to find Caroline and a few friends loudly cheering on the New England Patriots in his dorm room. Ever studious, and with a test the next morning, Sam kindly suggested they watch the game elsewhere. Despite being kicked out of his room in the middle of a great football game, Caroline thought to herself that Sam was rather cute. Sam, for his part, decided he liked Caroline’s curly red hair and was drawn to her sassy humor. Despite this initial awkward encounter, Caroline and Sam soon became the best of friends. At first, they were adamant that they were “just friends” (to which everyone would laugh and roll their eyes), but eventually they began to realize that maybe there was something more. Toward the end of their second semester at UGA, they made it official while sitting on a bench on North Campus. When Sam asked Caroline to be his girlfriend, she responded with an emphatic “Finally! I thought you would never ask.” The couple’s next three years at UGA were filled with dates between classes, marathon study sessions, football games, nights out with friends, weekend trips, and quick Ben and Jerry’s stops—Sam is convinced that it’s over Ben and Jerry’s ice cream in downtown Athens that they fell in love. But, after graduating into a COVID-19 lockdown, the couple’s first jobs landed them hundreds of miles apart, with Sam in Washington, DC, and Caroline in New Haven, CT. It was certainly a challenge, but they made it work. For two years, in the midst of pandemic travel restrictions, they took the Amtrak Northeast Regional train back and forth every other weekend. And after 60 train trips, a few flights, several long drives, and countless FaceTime calls, they had made it through the two years apart only to realize that they would be spending four more years apart while Caroline completed medical school back in Georgia. So, they did it again. More flights and more FaceTime calls. Navigating long distance while Caroline adjusted to medical school was another challenge, but Sam and Caroline were committed to making it work. Eventually, Sam was able to split his time working between DC and Augusta, GA where Caroline was in school, and the couple was able to spend more time together than they had in years. It was at this point that it felt right to take the next step. During the summer of 2024, Sam spent several weeks working abroad. Coincidentally, Caroline had two weeks off between clinical rotations during this time, and Sam saw his chance. After talking to Caroline’s parents, he convinced her to fly to Scotland to meet him for a week. On their second day in Edinburgh, the couple took a sunset walk to see the ruins of Saint Anthony’s Chapel overlooking the city. It was here that Sam got down on one knee and asked Caroline to marry him. She, of course, said yes. After navigating the highs and lows together of college, grad school, a global pandemic, medical school, nearly six years of long distance, first jobs, and first homes, Sam and Caroline are so excited to (finally!) get married. Thank you for being a part of our story. We are so grateful for the friends and family who love and support us so well, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!