We had first met our Freshman year at Emmanuel College, on a cool fall evening on the campus quad. Two first year college students, venturing out to the Ultimate Frisbee club’s first meeting of the year. We played an awkward, messy game of ultimate frisbee, and didn’t speak beyond introductions. Tatiana was confident and social, I was nervous and quiet. She wore her hair in twin braids down the back of her head, and stuck her tongue out slightly when throwing the disc. I liked her immediately. We began dating promptly after returning from Thanksgiving break that fall of our freshman year. We played frisbee once a week together, and became good friends with other students who were part of the club. Every May we take a trip to southern VT for an Experimental Hot Air Balloon Festival- an experience that is a staple to not only our relationship, but our shared friendships as well. It was your classic love story: A smart, driven, focused woman teaches emotional intelligence and vulnerability to a wayward man. All jokes aside, Tatiana and I both grew immensely in love with each other, and grew as individuals from that love as well. We consoled each other through great loss; had hard, heartfelt conversations about our needs and our futures; and through it all learned so much about ourselves and each other. Falling in love is a precious, beautiful thing. Growing in love has been the most treasured part of our lives. Tatiana, being the smart, driven, focused woman that she is- got into the University of Vermont’s Higher Ed & Student Affairs Graduate Program. And so it came to pass that a year after graduating from Emmanuel, we ventured together to Burlington VT for the next chapter of our lives. Since moving to Vermont, our love has ballooned (pun intended). I proposed to Tatiana on December 11th, 2021, and from that moment we have settled into the comfort of knowing we will spend the rest of our lives with each other as soulmates. Now after a year of engagement, we are the parents to 2 cats and have found ourselves jobs that we like well enough (it’s the best we can hope for). We have learned to indoor rock climb, cook and bake tasty creations, and hope to learn to fly hot air balloons someday, much to the mixed pride and discomfort of our parents. (We promise we will be safe!) There is a certain peace attained by finding your person, and by building your relationship and life together in such a way that it always feels like you have enough. All of the other joys in life, big or small, are just extra. We have that peace, and hope to share it with you all on our wedding day. We’ll meet you in the mountains! ~Korey & Tatiana~