Luke and Sam first met in the administrative office at the University of Connecticut right before they were given a tour of the Marine Science Building. They were both shown the one available, sorry-looking desk on the first floor and both thought "nope, not for me". They went their separate ways for a few days as they both decided on where they were going to sit for the next few years. Sam found a spot on the third floor with a nice view. To her surprise, a couple of days later, Luke strolled in and claimed the desk next to her! From there, pranks ensued with kettles and treasure hunts emerged with Swedish chocolate. Luke took every opportunity to talk to Samantha, preventing both of them from getting their work done, and he only came into the office whenever she was there. It took a while, but Luke got it into his head on November 4th that he had to ask her out on a date that day. After an afternoon of playing on the playground with Samantha, he plucked up the courage and asked her on a date at the 11th hour, to which she said yes!

Luke planned a very elaborate first date with many stops, despite not having a car in America yet! To start off, they went axe throwing, where it became evident very quickly that this was not Sam's forte. However, she played along and ultimately gave Luke some quality footage of someone with essentially zero hand-to-eye coordination. More humor was in store though, as Luke had bought front row tickets to a comedy magic show at the casino. Sam was picked on by the comedian, and a slew of questionable jokes proceeded. After a very interesting time there, Luke and Sam went out to Via Emilia, one of their now favorite spots for a fancy meal in CT.

Since the first date, Luke and Sam have continued to plan dates with many adventures and packed schedules! Over the past nearly two years, some of their favorite adventures have included candle making, walking around Block Island to find llamas in the winter, acrobatic shows, concerts in Boston and New York, touring million dollar homes in Greenwich pretending to be IT specialists and OR surgeons, framing Luke at a murder mystery dinner, skiing in New Hampshire, Dutch Blitz on the beach, jigsaw puzzles, hosting their own Great British-American bake off, teaching Sam to play the real football, visiting two National Parks out West, apple picking (and all the New England fall things), mini-golfing, biking around Fisher's Island, attending some additional improv comedy shows, creating more playground challenges, attending a play about Margaritaville (though Luke had no idea who Jimmy Buffet was), and watching the 2024 Olympics in France.

It was a lovely summer's day in the south of France, and before flying over to the UK, Luke and Sam decided to explore Nice. Luke, however, had something big planned. He knew in advance that he wanted to propose at Fort Du Mont Alban, even down to the tree he would propose under. After a brief morning excursion, they headed up to the fort. As they found the spot, Sam went to sit down and take in the view. At the same time, Luke pretended to drink water while getting the ring ready. Ring box in hand and nerves contained, he popped the question, and she said yes!! God has beautifully orchestrated their stories together, and they are excited to embark on this new chapter and all that the Lord has in store for them.