We met for the VERY first time out on the basketball court of our middle school at lunch...but that doesn't really count. The real story begins the summer before our senior year of high school at NDP! Even though we had gone to school together for the last 7 years, we finally crossed paths that summer at a mutual friend's house. Sam came up with a pretty clever way to get Carly's contact, and the friendship began! A few months later, we went on our first date. Much to our family's (and our) surprise, we decided to navigate college in a long distance relationship, with Sam at ASU and Carly at UW-Madison. It took a lot of facetimes and campus visits, but we wouldn't trade that experience for the world - it brought us closer than ever. Fast forward to our last year long distance, we went on our annual christmas date - we would always dress up, go to a fancy dinner, and exchange gifts. But Sam had other plans... We visited Cosanti, once the home of architect Paolo Soleri, now the beautiful desert grounds where his original bells are sold. While Carly was looking at bells, Sam said he had to "grab his wallet" from his car - he grabbed the ring instead. One thing led to the next, and the "self-timer photo" was actually a video to capture the moment. Carly said yes!