“So, what about Sofie and Simon?” For those that have known Sofie and Simon as they grew up together, questions that reflected the two of them in a relationship someday were more than commonplace amongst friends and family. To many, Sofie and Simon were bound to be together far before either of them even considered each other as an interest in this way. Growing up together, Sofie and Simon made countless memories with each other and their church friends. They would get together every week on Wednesday for dinner and time together, and then would get together again on Sunday evening for their weekly Youth Group. What they were doing did not particularly matter, but for those that were paying attention, when they were in the same place, Sofie and Simon went everywhere together. Middle school and high school were formative in the relationship that the S’s have today. While they never would have named each other as anything more than a best friend during these years, this was the beginning of what is now 6-years of dating and just under a year of being engaged! As any good love story would have it, Sofie and Simon did not begin dating until Simon had left Chicago for College. The two stayed in touch when Simon went away and were intentional about their continued friendship. Somewhere in this time apart, the two began to realize a desire to be more than just friends. Despite the distance between them, they started dating on a cold February day in 2020 when Sofie went to visit Simon for the weekend. For those noting the global timeline in Feb of 2020, it was not long before Simon was back in Chicago and campuses across the country were shutting down due to the growing concern and need to quarantine to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Looking back, the ‘quarantine era’ in Sofie and Simon’s relationship was unique, challenging, and what truly laid the foundation for the couple they are today. S and S share a deep desire to care for those around them, as well as the future of our planet. While these values present themselves in different ways in each individual, the global Social Justice movements throughout the country and the world that began during the pandemic taught S and S that firstly, they wanted to fight for the same thing, but also how they would do this as a couple. As life moved on, much to Simon’s joy, Sofie ended up at Michigan State University with him where they would spend their college lives together. Many late nights and rainy bike rides home across campus in the dark did nothing but provide more memories for the two of them as they went through college. While they each had their own groups of friends, this was also where they began to assemble they shared closest friends - many who are in the wedding party today. These friends were with them for the highs, lows, and everything in between. Many of these friends have been on hikes with Sofie and Simon, spontaneously gone out for ice cream at 10pm and have likely completed, or attempted an all-nighter with Simon - very much the night-owl of the two. Leading up to this very special day, Sofie and Simon just moved to Philadelphia, PA with their dog Rae, cat Charley, and newly added cat Snuffles. Sofie and Simon are very much their own people with their own passions and dreams, but they are in it for the long haul and are excited to push each other forward in one another's careers and as people. Sofie will be attending vet school at Rowan University’s Schreiber School of Veterinary Medicine starting this fall with the aspiration of working in the world of marine conservation, and Simon hopes to combine his lifelong obsession with motorsport with his academic pursuit of optimizing human performance as a Sports Psychologist. S and S are excited to chase their shared and individual dreams together as they enter into a new chapter of life as newly weds.