Some might say fate had a hand in bringing us together. It was one of those chance meetings that felt so unlikely—Dakota, originally from the East Coast, and Alora, born and raised in Texas, meeting while we were both attending UTSA. From the moment we met, it felt like there was something different about us. Our first date lasted nearly five hours, and we barely noticed the time slipping away. It started with casual conversation over drinks and ended with Dakota sharing one of his favorite movies, Groundhog Day. It was definitely a quirky, unexpected ending to the night, but we still smile when we think about it. Exactly a week after that first date, the world changed. The COVID-19 pandemic hit, and quarantine threw all of us into uncertainty. If we hadn’t gone on that date when we did, we might have missed our chance to know each other. But even though the world was turned upside down, we knew that what we had found was worth holding onto. The early days of our relationship were anything but ordinary. With social distancing in full swing, we had to get creative. We swapped fancy dinners for laid-back picnics, turned movie nights into painting sessions, and found out that even cooking together could be way more fun than we expected. And of course, those DIY dates gave us some pretty funny stories—like the time Alora tried to make dinner and somehow ended up decorating the entire kitchen with sauce, or when we got pooped on by birds in the middle of a picnic and had to make a quick (and very undignified) escape. Even with everything going on—from the pandemic to juggling school—we always found a way to laugh, keep things light, and be there for each other. It took nearly a year before we finally made it to a movie theater, something most couples do early on. While most people look back on those days with mixed feelings, we look back fondly on the time spent learning about each other and falling in love with our future spouse. Now, after five incredible years, we’ve built so many memories and faced life’s twists and turns together. In March 2024, Dakota asked Alora to marry him in the stunningly beautiful Lake Tahoe, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and the shimmering lake. It was the perfect place for the next chapter of our story to begin, and we couldn’t be more excited to share that chapter with all of you, our family and friends.