Some may say that ours is a relationship inspired by the divine intervention of Touchdown Jesus or possibly under the Holy Grail of the Fighting Irish... and, to be honest, they may be right!

Natalie's family moved the summer of 4th grade. As fate would have it, there is a young Irish lad named Connor McDonnell that attends the same school. Natalie likes to joke and say they were destined to be friends as they were the only two people in their class who cheered on the Blue and Gold Fighting Irish. Natalie might have even had a premonition they would be together one day as she wrote in Connor's 6th grade yearbook - Natalie ur bestie :)

Unfortunately, their paths would grind to a screeching halt during high school years as Natalie followed in the footsteps of her sisters and attended Millard North, while Connor attended rival Millard West.

Football season is a highly anticipated family affair for both the Begley and McDonnell families. When and where to cheer on the Irish becomes the weekly hot topic. Traditionally, Connor's great uncle, Mike McDonnell, hosts an epic party during the season. Both Connor and Natalie's families attend, but up to this point, Natalie and Connor never actually interact or talk to each other. You know the drill... teenage boys on one side of the room, teenage girls on the other!

Notre Dame Football party 2018 is when things change. Natalie's cousin, John, bridges this great divide. Natalie goes home that night waiting for Connor to text her... and he does! Connor and Natalie talk, go on to attend homecoming together their senior year and... on Connor's 18th birthday... he makes the move and asks Natalie for a birthday kiss!

Connor officially asks Natalie to be his girlfriend in September of 2018. The rest, as they say, is history.

This Nurse - Firefighter duo now owns a house and has a puppy, Copper, that they love and spoil. It may be fate... or is it The Luck of the Irish?

On April 28, 2023, Connor, Natalie, Ally (Natalie’s sister) and Jacob (Ally’s fiancé) take a short trip to South Bend, IN. Natalie is told they are going to a Notre Dame Baseball game and walk around the beautiful campus. She's always up for a trip to ND to take in the sights and sounds of the Blue and Gold! When the group arrives at Notre Dame, they explore the campus and find the beautiful look-out point where Rudy, the movie, was filmed. This overlooks the Notre Dame lake and the Golden Dome. The next morning, Natalie is told they are going to brunch and afterwards, take some pictures. She gets all ready for the day, wearing a dress and heels (meanwhile, everyone else walks out of the room in jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts). You might say this is the moment that Natalie becomes very suspicious of the REAL purpose of the road trip! The four attend brunch and walk back to the same lookout spot to see it during daylight hours. Ally and Jacob take photos along the way, when all of the sudden, Connor grabs Natalie's hand, drops down on one knee, and asks her to marry him. Easiest YES ever!!! 💍🤍