KC's Story: Megan doesn’t remember this but the first time we really met was when Megan was still a student-athlete at the University of Arkansas. At the time, I was a graduate assistant and co-chair of the Spring Graduation Ceremony for the athletes. Megan wasn’t able to attend the actual ceremony because of a softball game so she came into the office a couple of days later looking for her Athlete stole so she could take graduation pictures with it. As co-chairs of the ceremony, my best friend and I slightly freaked out because we had misplaced it and Megan was one of the Director’s favorite athletes. Luckily, we found it the following week but this moment set the stage for my best friend and I to think Megan was going to be a major kiss-a*s when her graduate assistantship began the following month. Truth be told, we were already feeling some type of way about her because she would be filling the GA position that one of our close friends had previously held. I’m embarrassed to admit we had an unspoken agreement to not like her.

Megan's Story: I really don't remember meeting until I started Grad School. We hit it off right away and our friendship thrived. I think it was a combination of KC's "inviting" personality and my persistency that allowed our friendship to flourish. In 2016, we realized that our friendship was developing into something more and we began dating after KC graduated. KC took me camping for the first time and supported me in all my decisions. Upon my graduation in 2017, we had a big decision to make. We both had wonderful job offers BUT they were 1200 miles apart. We decided to try long distance (Madison, WI to Houston, TX) and we made it work. It wasn't always easy but we focused on communication and living in the moment whenever we were together. Finally after 4 long years, we no longer have to say "See you soon" on Sunday's.

KC had a great idea that we each plan a "Christmas" date, one before Christmas and one after. I (Megan) happily took the pre Christmas one and planned dinner, a Christmas Light tour and a Light Show at Mozart's in Austin. For KC's date, they had recently gotten into photography and used this interest to lure me to downtown Austin at sunset. KC spent what felt like hours setting up the camera to have the perfect settings but when I saw KC sneak the GoPro under the camera at the last second, I felt something was up. KC then walked over to me and honestly, both of us seemed to blackout. KC said something about having the “perfect shot” in mind but needed my help. Initially, I was skeptical because I wasn’t sure what this entailed but then they said “I just need you to say yes…” Next, KC pulled out a red box and I said “Are you effing serious?” Several times throughout the years, KC has joked with me about proposing so I followed up with “I’m not saying anything until I see what’s in the box” because I was afraid it was going to be earrings. Then KC got down on one knee, asked me to marry them and I enthusiastically said yes!

Megan: My favorite thing about our relationship is that everyday is an adventure. We love hiking, camping, and just being outside but our trip to Portland back in 2018 is on the top of my list for favorite adventures. We started off my exploring the coast, dipping our feet in the FREEZING ocean, and riding around with the top off of the Jeep we rented. That night, we went to see Sam Smith and I think KC had a religious experience. The next day, we spent all day hiking in Mt. Hood National Forest, testing my fitness and KC's ankle mobility. We exhausted ourselves but we wouldn't have it any other way.

KC's: Honestly, every adventure we’ve been on has been pretty memorable. If I had to narrow it down though, I’d go with the few days we spent camping in Big Bend National Park just a few days before I proposed. It was going to be our second year in a row spending New Year’s in Big Bend but this year went a little different because a major snow storm hit the park the day before we were set to arrive which changed our plans a bit. The road to our campground was closed due to a foot of snow but we decided to drive the 6 hrs anyway and hope that it opened by the time we arrived. It didn’t. However, we were able to camp with a few friends in Terilingua, a nearby ghost town. I think what I really loved about this entire trip was that it really solidified that proposing to her soon was the best next step for our relationship. Megan is definitely a planner but she adjusted to the spontaneity of those few days without a complaint and it turned out to be an incredible time. We hiked and camped in snow, watched the moon rise over the plateaus, laughed until our bellies hurt, and peed on the side of the road while taking a lunch break in Middle-Of-Nowhere, TX. I knew after those few days that I couldn’t wait to adventure through life with her forever.