I was going into my third year of college as a film major. I had been asked to join a class that I was reeeally nervous about taking so I decided to get to class early to have my pick of a seat, not too far back, but absolutely not the front row. I show up to class and picked my perfect seat. Shortly after, another student makes his way into class. Wearing all black, hood up, hat on, and really didn’t look too thrilled to be there. But in the quick glance and soft smiles we exchanged, I noticed he had very kind, sweet looking eyes and in the cheesiest way possible I swear I saw a version of our lives together flash before my eyes. Which was something I had never experienced. Spoiler…it was Sean :) He makes his way into class and sits about a chair away, and slightly in front of me. We spoke zero words to each other and sat in silence until the rest of the class arrived. I proceeded to say nothing to him for a few weeks, maybe even months until one day I got the courage to say “I like the color of your shoes”. We spent the entire term about two feet away from each other and said in total probably 10 words to each other. And for some reason, I was hooked! I enjoyed the work that he was sharing in class, his points of view, and the obvious talent that he had and I found myself completely smitten. I had actually learned at the time that he was not available and so with that I just decided I’d learn about him from afar and crush on him in silence. I thought to myself, “well if I don’t have a chance to ever be with him then I’d love to be his friend” so that’s what I did. We ended up having a class with each other every term for the entire year of school and were able to work on lots of class projects and movies together. I really felt in my soul that there was something so right about him and that IF we could be together it would be amazing. So I waited. I waited for the opportunity to arise and about a year and a half later that moment came when he asked me over for dinner for our first date. I truly could NOT believe it because for over a year I had felt this strong connection with nothing to prove for it and it was like I had finally gotten the validation that I didn’t completely make this feeling up. I had a strong feeling years ago that this was going to be special, and it sure is. :)

I first laid eyes on Lexi on the first day of my senior year of college. The unapparent summer air of early fall whisked me out of my apartment and into the first class of the day - Branded Media. The class was taught by a professor with whom I had deeply connected over the previous three years. She urged me to enroll in the class, as it was only offered once every couple of years. I normally pride myself on being one of the first people to arrive in class, so it came as a surprise to see that someone had already beaten me to it. Sitting in the middle of the room was a girl with long brown hair and big brown eyes. Little did I know the future we would have together. After a quiet regard in the form of a head nod, I found my seat near the back of the classroom, and as I began to unpack my bag for the day, I began to wonder who this long-haired person was, and more importantly, why I immediately liked her so much, despite not saying a word to one another. After a few weeks, Lexi said, “I like your shoes,” as I left the class. I stopped momentarily and probably said, “Thanks, I bought them myself,” or something equally embarrassing. From that point on, we began talking to one another more, sitting closer to each other in class, and sharing more about ourselves with each other. We grew closer through the Winter and Spring terms. We shared some of the same classes and kept in touch outside of class. Then, right before Spring Break, I asked her to lunch. I was about to depart on a six-day trip to Nepal and needed a friend to see me off. I asked if she wanted to get a slice of pizza at Hot Lips, and she quickly said yes. That day before leaving to fly around the world in a week, one thing became clear - this was the person I was meant to spend the rest of my life with. After graduating, moving apartments, and settling down for a bit, I asked Lexi over for dinner on January 9th, 2020. From that day forth, we haven’t spent longer than a couple of days apart, and I’m proud to say that I have a partner for life.

We had been planning a Europe trip for quite awhile and each trip we had gone on for about 2 years before this I had the thought each time “hmmm maybe he’ll propose this trip”. Once we finally had Europe in the books I knew it HAD to happen on this trip or else that was a serious missed opportunity. After about a week traveling around London, we made our way to the beautiful and serene Lake Como, Italy, where we met up with my parents. For our entire Europe trip we really didn't plan anything specific, we were just going to do what we felt in the moment. We decided to head to a town called Bellagio on Lake Como which is known for it's stunning view of the lake and beautiful villas. So we planned an early morning to get tickets for an afternoon ferry to Bellagio, and then grab some breakfast after. Well, the morning didn't really go as planned and we found ourselves on the earliest ferry ride at about 7:30am. By the time we got to Bellagio, we were sleepy, we were hungry (I was maybe a little hangry...that's up for debate 👀) so it was kind of an emergency to find food at that point. It was so early that nothing was really open yet but we finally found a little cafe where we had croissants and cappuccinos. After that we decided to make our way to a garden villa nearby that we saw on the map. We walked through the stunning streets and up and down an ungodly number of stairs. As we kept walking we stumbled across a quiet and serene park that overlooked the lake and the mountains – truly the most beautiful scene. I thought to myself "now that's the perfect place for a proposal." So I hurried down the path to go take some pictures and looked behind me to catch Sean in the midst of whispering something to my mom as he gestured to the path I was on. Sean catches up to me and says "Let's go take a pic down here"... as if I wasn't, very obviously, already doing that exact thing. I knew immediately what was about to happen. We made our way to the end of the path and we don't "take a pic" as he suggested, but we do stand in the moment together and take in the view. I could feel Sean's hands shaking as he wrapped his arms around me and it again confirmed what I knew was about to happen. He started by saying "So I've been thinking..." and continues on with "...wouldn't it be cool if we… maybe… spent our lives together?" as he fiddles with his bag to retrieve the ring. He got down on one knee, as they do, and asked me those four silly words and I said yes, duh! After that we celebrated with fresh pizzas on the lake! It was a very happy day :) We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in Hood River!

I was fortunate enough that Lexi took the initiative years before the proposal to send me a direct link to a ring she fancied from a jeweler she followed. I saved the link in a bookmarks folder, setting my sights on asking her to marry me in the most unforgettable way possible. In the years leading up to August 2023, Lexi made one thing abundantly clear - her dream was to visit Italy. So much so, that when the chance to travel abroad for a conference came up, we planned to extend our European adventure to include Italy. With flights, AirBnBs, and trains booked, we boarded our last flight as just “boyfriend and girlfriend.” After spending a few days visiting friends and attending a conference in London, we arrived at Lake Como, Italy. It was as stunning and picturesque as I had imagined, making the idea of a proposal there feel even more like a fairy tale. However, my proposal planning hadn’t gone beyond the idea of “Lake Como.” I thought I could simply find a romantic spot and propose, as long as I had the ring. I was mistaken. The streets were crowded, boats were docking, and a dock I had eyed for the proposal was just used by another couple getting engaged. Panic ensued as I wondered how I could make the proposal happen. The saying, “If you fail to plan, then plan to fail,” haunted me the night before. Lying awake in our damp, humid rental, I knew I needed to come up with something spectacular. But what? The next morning, we aimed to buy ferry tickets to Bellagio, a town even more picturesque across the lake. But, all tickets for later ferries were sold out. Our only option was the 7:30 AM ferry. Tired and groggy, we boarded the ferry, trying to catch some sleep. We arrived in Bellagio, greeted by dreamlike cobblestone paths and steep staircases, surrounded by towering mountains. I was determined we wouldn’t leave without getting engaged. But first, coffee. For Lexi, it was essential. After a cappuccino and croissant, we began exploring. Soon, we found a sprawling garden terrace with a stunning view over the lake.That was the moment I knew where I would propose. Letting Lexi walk ahead, I collected my thoughts. Despite planning what to say the night before, what came out when I met her at the viewpoint was completely unexpected. “So I was thinkin…” I froze, realizing the words I just blurted out didn’t match what I intended to say at all. Skipping the details of my nervous rambling, I eventually knelt down and presented the ring she had chosen so long ago. And just like that, we created a memory to last a lifetime - one that was perfectly us.