It was opening weekend at Bowling Green State University, and a group of freshmen gathered in the open field outside Kreischer Hall. There was an array of new faces and memories waiting to be made – two of which would get to share their story together for the next seven years and beyond. In an effort to shake everybody's nerves, a group leader set a chaotic game of Ships & Sailors in motion. The rules were simple: follow the commands of the captain and don't be the last one to complete the task. Across the sea of people, Joey's attention was drawn to a girl with long brunette hair and a bright smile fashioning a patterned sundress. He knew he had to inconspicuously get closer, but unbeknownst to him, she was also making moves to be near the cute guy with broad shoulders, a trimmed beard, and wavy, flowing locks almost as long as hers. The meet cute culminated in the game command of "two," which was to find a partner and reenact the iconic scene from Titanic. In a split second their eyes met, and they found each other with his hands laid on her waist and her arms spread out. In that moment of sheer bliss while their feet remained grounded, both of their hearts felt as if they were flying. Fate would have it that Joey and Shaelee lived on the same floor just around the corner among a group of close-knit friends who spent that first year watching horror movie marathons, playing board games in the common room until 3 a.m., competing in Super Smash Bros tournaments, and gathering on the 7th floor of the library doing anything but studying. The close proximity allowed their friendship to flourish, and they decided to make it official in January 2018 after returning from winter break — 1,852 days later, they made it officially official and married at the courthouse with a few close friends as witnesses on January 27, 2023.