From Fallon's Point of View...

When I first visited Oklahoma State, our tour guide had proposed to his future wife at the OSU Gardens just the week before. I was so excited to think that maybe I would meet my person at OSU during my short 4 years in college. What I never imagined was how lucky I would be to have found someone so caring and sweet.

I met Connor my Junior year of college through my little Chloe in my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha. She convinced Connor to take me to his semi formal for his fraternity, Kappa Sigma, so that we could both go to the event together. The Semi-Formal was at the horse races in Oklahoma City. Although at the time I was not interested in Connor, this was my first formal so I was a little bit nervous! Luckily, Connor is the type of guy that makes you feel comfortable in his presence and the whole night we were laughing and routing for the horses that he bet on. But at this point, Connor was only a friend.

It wasn't until the following week at another Kappa Sig event on Halloween where I was able to really talk to Connor one on one that realized the depth in Connor's personality. (Keep in mind Connor was dressed as Dunkin Donuts and literally wearing an inflatable donut). Initially, I really loved how smart he was, his secret rebellious side, and his ambition.

Through out the rest of the semester, we went on dates around Stillwater at the coffee shops (which is where I learned Connor is OBSESSED with coffee). We spent hours at the library - barely studying and going to the movies. Connor also accompanied me to my formal later that semester, the White Violet(photo above). On the last day of that semester, we decided it was official!

Connor had a wonderful opportunity to work for the State Department in D.C., the following semester, but luckily it was only for half the semester and we would be able to spend the rest of that semester together... Or so we thought. Two weeks before we were supposed to reunite, the COVID Pandemic shut down the world and we were long distance for another 3 months. Although we spent our first 6 months of our official dating apart, I am so grateful for the time that we spent virtually together. I learned so much about Connor in that time. When you take away all of the activities and distractions, you really get to see that person and understand how to communicate with them which has helped us throughout our relationship.

Connor and I have been continuously growing and evolving through the many stages of life since the beginning. We have been through COVID, college graduations, moving states, first jobs, second jobs and moving again. The wonderful thing about Connor is that he is always the person who stays positive and knows that things will work out in the end. I am so lucky to have a true partner that is so supportive and I can't wait to go through many more seasons of life with him.

From Connor's Point of View...

It all started with a simple problem: who was I going to take to the Kappa Sigma semi-formal? At the time, I was dejected after a prior rejection and had the formal quickly approaching. My roommate, Chip, suggested I go with his girlfriend, Chloe's, best friend, Fallon. I had met her a few times and she seemed pleasant enough so I agreed. It was a chaotic formal, where our entertainment mainly consisted of watching people drunker than us try to dance. However, we both had a great time together and could see a potential relationship blossoming. She was the perfect package, she was beautiful, kind, and fun to hang around with, I was enamored. A week later, we had our halloween party, where we met up again. Things were really awkward at first, but Fallon’s bright personality shined through, and we ended up talking for hours while I was wearing my donut costume for Halloween. We continued having many more conversations that would last late into the night, and I was lucky to be chosen, out of many potential suitors, to be her date to the Zeta formal. The night of the formal, I had a terrible bout of food poisoning, but I still managed to attend, which I think won over her heart.

By December, we started dating and we ran into our first challenge. I had been accepted into the State Department internship, in DC, for the spring and would be attending OSU virtually that semester. I thought going long distance a couple weeks after starting dating would be a death sentence for the relationship, but Fallon comforted and reassured me that things would be ok. Nevertheless, we jumped into it, thinking three months isn’t that long. Or so we thought. By March 2020, coincidentally when my internship was supposed to end, it looked like three months apart wouldn’t happen. The pandemic made our long time apart even longer. Even in the depths of lockdown despair, when we had no clue when we would see each other again, Fallon stuck by me and remained confident and optimistic that we would eventually see each other again. Her nightly facetime calls were the one thing that got me through the internship and lockdowns. We finally reconnected in June, 2020, 6 never-ending months after we had said goodbye last December. This was a very special day to us, where we could finally see each other after growing in love over the phone.

That next year was full of fun times, where we could hang out whenever we wanted. It was a refreshing feeling knowing we just lived a mile away, instead of a couple thousand miles. The foundation we had built during the long distance phase, helped us tackle new challenges. It also meant that we were willing to make big sacrifices for each other, like when Fallon moved to Ponca City to be closer to me, while I was still in school. I am eternally grateful for all the sacrifices that Fallon has made for me and that we have been able to conquer every obstacle that has stood in our way. I am lucky to have someone who pushes me to be better and someone that I have grown to love so much with over the years. I look forward to continuing the journey ahead together, facing new challenges, and growing our love along the way.