We were both raised in the suburbs of Atlanta, with Sarah and I growing up in Alpharetta and Roswell, respectively. Despite living within 15 minutes of each other, we did not really know each other well until our senior year of high school, when fate smiled upon us in the form of AP Chemistry class. We developed "chemistry" over the course of the year through being study partners, culminating in us deciding to begin dating shortly after graduating high school, having already picked our respective colleges (Sarah attended Michigan, and I attended University of Pittsburgh by way of Washington and Lee). Realizing that we had something special, we took a chance and gave long distance a try - and it worked. We dated through college and found ourselves living together in New York City shortly after graduation. New York was at the same time both exciting and stressful, but our time spent there together brought us new friends, experiences, and a newfound appreciation for how to make do with limited square footage! Long distance dating was not through with us just yet, with Sarah's dream of becoming a doctor coming to fruition with her acceptance into the University of Florida College of Medicine Class of 2021. Sarah moved down to Gainesville, while I remained up in New York. Unfortunately, Gainesville is not a financial hub like New York. While long distance may seem a persistent thorn in our side, it gave us the chance to both pursue our own careers while developing a deep trust and understanding of each other. Our love for each other has strengthened, not weakened, from distance. We have enjoyed many adventures together over the last 9 years (jointly realizing our love for travel), and we are so grateful for the many friendships we have developed along the way. The next step in our journey involves Sarah matching into an Anesthesiology residency program. Wherever we go, the love gained and lessons learned will help us to begin this new chapter of our lives together.

I had known that I wanted to marry Sarah for years, but the aforementioned long distance had a unique ability to get in the way of our plans. However, in the summer of 2019 I decided that the timing was right. The problem was how to pull off the surprise. As luck would have it, Sarah had gotten me an Atlanta United jersey as an anniversary gift and suggested we both fly into Atlanta the weekend of August 3rd to attend the game. Using the already planned trip as cover, our friends and family went to work planning the surprise. The morning of the proposal, Sarah was under the impression that we were having brunch at Piedmont Tavern with our brothers and some of my cousins. We decided to walk through Piedmont Park to get to the restaurant, so after parking near the Botanical Gardens, we set off. When we reached Lake Clara Meer I suggested we take a picture together. I at that point told her there was no brunch, and asked Connor if he could hand me the ring. With the Atlanta Midtown skyline in the background, I proposed, and (thankfully) she said yes! The surprises were not quite finished. After going to the Atlanta United game (you know, the whole reason we were in Atlanta), I told her that we were going to have dinner with some of my family at Pure Taqueria in Alpharetta (a usual spot for the McCraney's). When we got there, Sarah was very surprised to find many of our family and friends (from both near and far) all waiting for us at Pure's event space "Next to Pure." The rest of the night, we celebrated our engagement the only way we know how: with margaritas in hand, surrounded by those close to us.