As many of you know, Alyssa and Truman both majored in engineering, biosystems and mechanical, respectively. Because those majors share most of the same classes during the first three semesters, it’s no surprise that we ended up in class together our first semester, specifically in an intrapersonal skills for engineers course. Despite this early introduction, we never said a word to each other. Just because the story starts here doesn’t mean it goes anywhere for a while!

Fast-forward a year to sophomore fall in Physics II. Both Truman and Alyssa were in the same class but sat with their own friends. They were also in another class together, Statics, the first “real” engineering course. In Statics, students were assigned to groups that met each week to discuss homework. Lucky for Alyssa and Truman, they were placed in the same group! This wouldn’t lead to much on its own, as Truman was not very helpful, and Lys chose not to say much. One of Alyssa’s friends in Physics, and her roommate, Lilly, would be crucial for their eventual friendship. Lilly was in Truman’s lab portion of Physics and invited him over to Alyssa and Lilly’s apartment to paint pumpkins for Halloween. Alyssa and Truman had their first real conversation on their walk back to the apartment, only a little awkward!

The fall of sophomore year would prove crucial for Truman and Alyssa, as their friendship, and eventually love, would flourish. Continuing from the pumpkin painting, Truman would become a friend and regular at Alyssa and Lilly’s apartment. He would work on homework, play just dance, and do just about everything else at the girls’ apartment. Their whole friend group would go on to try skateboarding, a questionable choice in the winter in Nebraska. As time went on, Truman and Alyssa would find more time to hang out alone, skating or just working on homework. Christmas break made this much easier, and they even decided to keep it a secret to themselves. That semester, Truman had decided he would move in with Lilly and Alyssa for the next academic year, as friends.

Eventually, Truman would ask Alyssa to be his girlfriend officially on Valentine’s Day. They would be official, but only to themselves, fearing what others in the group might think, as they had all decided to make a “no dating in the friend group” rule. This would work out fine, until Lilly caught them kissing in the hallway, something she denied for another week or two, till she and the other friends in the group would learn of the relationship.

Truman would move into Alyssa and Lilly’s 4-bedroom apartment as the third roommate. Nothing would group them like the pesky fourth roommate, a random who had an odd schedule and seemingly terrible cooking skills. They would band together and make it through. Living together allowed for Alyssa and Truman’s relationship to be tested…

… And they passed with flying colors! Truman and Alyssa both had similar schedules, cleaning habits, and found little to no difficulty living together. This led them to plan to live alone together for their senior year. This was a big step, but it ended up being great! Just like before, things went on without a hitch, and we have been living together ever since. During that senior year, we went through a lot: preparing for graduation, planning our careers, and getting a cat, Kirby.

Following Graduation, Truman and Alyssa wanted to take a bit of a vacation to celebrate their achievement. They decided to drive to Rapid City, a great destination with a really cheap place to stay (Thanks, Claire and Forrest!). On the way out from Sioux Falls, Alyssa and Truman stopped in the Badlands. Truman had visited the Badlands many times growing up and had taken Alyssa there last summer and she loved it! It was a cold and rainy day, but Truman insisted they do some light hiking. Like a storybook, they found themselves alone among the Badlands, with a gap in the rain and some beautiful sunshine. Truman found the courage to get down on one knee and ask the fateful question. Lys obviously said yes! We were able to surprise Claire (Truman’s Sister) and her husband, Forrest, with the proposal, leading to quite a shock. Forrest was kind enough to take some pre-engagement pictures for us, many of which you can see on our Photos page.