Hannah & Tom first met at St. John's Catholic Newman Center during Hannah's second day on campus at UIUC as a freshman, when Tom was a junior. They enjoyed talking, but didn't think much of having met each other. Fast forward a few weeks, and they became part of the same "Newman Family" ...a small group of underclassmen who were "claimed" by an upperclassman as their "children." (If it sounds weird, that's because it was.) They ate lunch (and sometimes dinner) together nearly every day for the first semester of the 2021 school year, and each thought the other was pretty cool...and kind of cute! Skipping through other drama, at the beginning of the spring semester of the 2022 school year, they both found themselves broken up with and conveniently single. They went on a camping trip to the Great Smokey Mountains with ten other students and Fr. Millar, and stayed up almost every night until the wee hours, talking. But Hannah told Tom she didn't want a rebound relationship, and he respected that, so they didn't start dating. (But this was the first time they exchanged "I love you"!) At the beginning of the 2023 fall semester, Tom started dating one of Hannah's good friends, and Hannah put her foot down about not talking to him every night while he was dating someone else. But they both missed spending time together. Hannah went abroad from February to August 2024, and about two days before she left, Tom was broken up with. He's still a little mad that Hannah sent her friend ice cream at that juncture and not him. While Hannah was in Europe, she was discerning religious life, and Tom was well aware of this. However, after a powerful experience at the Abbey of Solesmes, she was no longer sure that religious life was her path...though Tom didn't know that yet! But the two of them talked or texted every single day she was in Europe. When Hannah got back from Europe, she was scared and in denial about this whole "marriage" and "dating your best friend" thing, and it took judicious words from Lilly Grimes and Fr. Dominic David to convince her it was at least worth trying! Tom picked Hannah up from O'Hare to drive her down to Champaign for the 2024 school year, and said nary a word about anything of any romantic nature for two hours of driving! Just as they got off the freeway in Champaign, he turned to her and said "You know I love you, right?" To which she replied, "Explain!" He was thrown for a loop (having expected a yes or no answer) but cobbled together a couple of sentences about how he had loved her for a long time, but it had seemed like the only way he could express it was platonically. But now, it seemed like maybe a door was opening to something new. She agreed. He asked, "So, what now?" She replied, "Well, you could start by asking me out!" "Wanna go on a date?" "Yes!" Their first date was to Seven Saints, a favorite restaurant of both of theirs. They were so nervous they could barely eat! And while they agreed to take it slow, they were officially girlfriend and boyfriend a week later, on September 2, 2024. Then followed eight wonderful months of movie nights, goat farm visits, grocery store runs, hanging out with friends, and homework/reading parties. Hannah was trying to finish her nearly-200-page senior thesis, and Tom was dealing with his 2L year of Law School, so it was a stressful time for both of them, but they still managed to support each other and spend time together! Hannah had told Tom that she didn't want to get engaged until after she graduated. So, he proposed the day after graduation, in front of the statue of Jesus in the courtyard of Newman Hall. When he picked up the engagement ring from the mall, he also picked up Auntie Anne's pretzel bites for Hannah, and she plopped herself in his car, ready to eat pretzels and head for Chicago, he had to work hard to convince her to get back up and go to the courtyard so he could propose! And now, God willing, we will help each other get to Heaven!