Tricia and Austin actually met during junior high at St. Michael's. Tricia was in 8th grade when Austin transferred during his 7th grade year. Tricia immediately had a crush on Austin. He looked just like Justin Timberlake, and anyone that knew Tricia back then knows how much she adored JT! It took a little bit, but when Austin heard about Tricia's crush they became boyfriend and girlfriend at 14. Tricia went to Providence Catholic the following year. Austin remained the stud at St. Michael's and went to Brother Rice the year after. Austin played football there, and Tricia always heard how good he was doing and even attended a few games. Even though Tricia and Austin rarely saw each other in high school, they still always knew about each other through mutual friends.

After sixteen years, at Jameson's Pub, Austin and Tricia were both with friends for a Thursday night Bears game. It wasn't until Tricia was on her way out and Austin was by the door playing Golden Tee that they bumped into each other. Tricia saw Austin and immediately started a conversation. Austin asked a few questions and in the end figured out that Tricia was not dating anyone. Once Tricia was in her car, Austin immediately texted her, and they planned their first date that Saturday to Irish Patriot for the Notre Dame game on September 30, 2019. While Tricia and Austin were at Irish Patriot, Austin received a phone call from his brother-in-law, Pat. Emily (Austin's sister) and Pat were up at the cottage with Audrey, their daughter, and asked Austin to join them. Tricia heard him talking and said she wanted to come with, so they went! Austin and Tricia spent the drive to Michigan catching up, telling stories, and laughing quite a bit. Everything was natural, and they were both very comfortable being themselves from the start. When they pulled up, Austin noticed his mom's car was there, too. They spent their first date with Mrs. McDonough (Maureen), Emily, Pat, and Audrey telling stories, drinking wine, and laughing all night long! Tricia and Austin talked later that night and both realized they had something special going on. They have been inseparable ever since.

Austin and Tricia knew from their first date that they were each others' "person." For eleven months, Austin and Tricia would spend their days at work and evenings with each other traveling back and forth from their parents' homes. Because of this, they were able to form great relationships with each others' families. They looked forward to seeing each other everyday. Excitedly, they decided to move in together in August 2018. After a few months, they were settled in their new place and talking about the rest of their future plans. In January, Austin called his mom and told her he was going to propose to Tricia. Austin then called Tammy (Tricia's mom) and asked for her blessing. Both of their mothers were ecstatic! Luckily for Austin, it was Tricia's birthday the following week, so he used her birthday as the reason he was getting everyone together to celebrate. Little did Tricia know, Austin was planning to propose to her in front of all of their family and friends. On Saturday, January 26th, 2019, as soon as her "birthday party" began, Austin got down on one knee and asked Tricia to be his wife. Tricia was in complete shock but of course said, "Yes!" All of their loved ones cheered, and this was just the beginning of all the celebrations to come.