In the spring of 2016, I got both an Instagram and Snapchat friend request from Hannah in quick succession, but didn’t give any of it much thought. Then, I began to notice Hannah coming to more basketball games and waiting outside the locker room afterwards, making sure to say hello to me as I walked past. Slowly, those “hellos” turned into longer conversations and eventually an ice cream date at Handel’s (the first of MANY ice cream runs), before we officially began dating in April.

The next year passed quickly and before we knew it, I was on my way to Ohio State while Hannah finished her time at STA. Despite being a couple hours away, we made a concerted effort to talk each day, which not only helped our relationship continue to grow but also meant that seeing each other on my trips home felt like I never left. This then served us well when Hannah chose to run Track and Cross Country at Walsh University, cementing our (semi-)long distance relationship for at least a few more years - but just like before, our relationship didn’t miss a beat.

After several years of being together, Hannah and I became more intertwined in each other's families. This culminated in two significant events that showed both our and our families' confidence in our relationship. The first came at my birthday in April 2020, when Hannah surprised me with my best friend, Cali, a German Shepherd / Husky mix. Though Cali was mine in title, anyone who knows Hannah knows Cal is just as much hers and neither of us were ever going to let her go! The second came when Hannah and I were asked to serve as godparents to my nephew, Oliver, in June of 2021, further confirming that Hannah was truly a member of the family.

After almost 7 years of being together, I knew I was ready to take our relationship to the next level and ask Hannah to marry me. Planning the proposal, I wanted it to both be a surprise and happen in a memorable place. Therefore, when a trip to see Hannah’s sister, Kalee, and her husband, John, in Colorado kept getting pushed back, I knew that would be a perfect opportunity to propose in a beautiful place on a trip that would not raise any suspicions. So, in March of 2023 with the ring packed safely in my bookbag (and me checking every 10 minutes to make sure it was still there) we made our way to Denver. Then, on a hike in the Garden of the Gods, I finally got down on one knee and asked Hannah to spend the rest of her life with me, and believe it or not, she said yes!

As we approach the first day of the rest of our lives, we can’t wait to celebrate our love with our friends and families on June 15th!

Andrew