I met Courtney for the first time in September 2017 when I visited Chicago (where Courtney lived at the time) to go to the Steelers-Bears game with our mutual friend Kyle. While that weekend came and went without much more than some cold beverages and a Steelers overtime loss, we've both agreed since that there was something there even then. Fast forward to June 2018, and I ended up moving to Chicago into an apartment with Kyle and Jordan, who both already spent a lot of time hanging out with Courtney and her friends Chloe, Alli, and Devon. That summer in Chicago brought a whole lot of fun times for our friend group, but not much in the way of Courtney & I. I was under the impression that Courtney was still dating somebody (she wasn't) and kept my respectful distance, even when we had housewarming party in August when I felt like I couldn't keep my eyes off her. That all changed on October 20th, 2018, when a group of us gathered at an OSU-backers bar called McGee's to watch the Bucks take on Purdue. Diehard OSU fans will remember this day for the embarrassing 49-20 loss to the Boilermakers, but I'll remember it as a day that changed my life forever. Courtney's parents were in town for the weekend and came to the bar with us, and at some point in the evening Courtney's mother asked her something about me (we'll keep it general - drinks had been had and the specifics are now debated). That sparked a conversation between Courtney & I, and when we ventured to the next bar I don't think we spoke to anyone else for the rest of the night until we parted ways. The next day brought a problem - I had somehow failed to ask Courtney for her phone number. Trying to play it cool and not seem overeager, I shrugged and figured I could ask her for it next weekend if I saw her. But fate intervened, and later that day Kyle sent Courtney a Snapchat of me showing off that I can put my palms flat on the floor without bending my knees. Impressed by my flexible hamstrings, Courtney replied to Kyle's Snapchat asking him for my phone number. From there a first date was quickly agreed upon, going to a Steelers-backer bar the next weekend to watch the game together. Things took off quickly after that, and by Thanksgiving 2018 when my mother asked me if I was dating anybody I could finally say "yes" and watch her jaw hit the floor. I proposed five years later to the day of that night that started it all (10/20/23), and lucky for me Courtney also said yes.