We grew up three hours apart, Ryan in Hampshire and Abigail in Monticello, neither of us ever imagined we’d fall in love with someone who felt so far away. But somehow, life had a way of bringing us together exactly when we needed it.

Ryan began at Eastern Illinois University in 2018 and Abigail followed in 2019. We both joined greek life as freshman, Ryan joining Sigma Nu and Abigail joining Alpha Gamma Delta. A few short months after Abigail first stepped foot on campus, our chapters were paired together for homecoming week, giving us opportunities to meet all week. Our paths finally crossed at a Thursday night bonfire, where loud music, cheap drinks, and a little encouragement from friends helped us find each other.For the next year, we insisted we were just friends, though everyone else knew better.

Our first official date came a year later in December of 2020. We made a gingerbread house and drove around looking at Christmas lights while Ryan chauffeured us in his mom’s minivan, a very romantic night for two “friends.” But a month later, everything finally fell into place, and we have been together ever since!

In May 2023, we graduated with our bachelor’s degrees, an equally exciting and bittersweet milestone. On our very last night of undergrad, we took an hour walk back from our favorite campus bar to Greek Court, stopping at all our favorite spots from the past four years. We laughed, Abby cried, and we talked about our favorite memories, our future, marriage, children, and everything else that felt both far away and suddenly so real.

Since that night, life has taken us through long distance, new friends, new jobs, and new routines, but through it all, choosing each other has always been the easiest part. We can’t wait to begin this next chapter as husband and wife and continue building a life that feels like home, no matter where we are!