First off, as an engineer, the idea of creative writing has been beaten out of me. So know that it took a lot of restraint to keep my fingers from going auto pilot into a bullet point list of facts… bear with me…

Molly and I first met at the O’Hare airport at 5 a.m. to accompany a student group to Nicaragua (it was safe back then). We were both new babysitters... I mean chaperones for the Engineers Without Borders (EWB) student group at Illinois Institute of Technology – Molly works at the university and I am the student chapter’s professional mentor. Molly wasn’t original scheduled to go, but ended up filling in for another staff member at the last minute, less than a week before the flight. We both distinctly remember looking up the other on LinkedIn in preparation for this trip, and thinking something along the lines of “hmmmmm…..”

The first laugh we shared was in the security line leaving Chicago. Despite a meeting the night before where Molly went over the trip details repeatedly, a student thought the flight was in the afternoon, hadn’t packed, and woke up to the other students knocking on his door to get into the Uber. (In an interesting twist on responsible behavior, the graduating student who pulled an all-nighter partying with his fraternity is the one who somehow got this student to the airport.)

Fast forward two hours, and TSA starts rifling through the “random” bag with loose objects thrown into a duffel, and comes across a half gallon jar of shea butter. We were as confused as you are that this made the packing list. (Sunscreen? No. Bug spray? No.) It is a miracle that we made it to Nicaragua.

A couple of months later, we started dating -- Molly, infatuated by my remarkable sense of style and “eclectic wardrobe” didn’t stand a chance. Very early on in our relationship we knew it was different than anything before, and moving in together was a natural, seamless transition.

A hop, skip, and a jump after that and we were heading to Yosemite on a hiking trip. On the third day, Molly, sensing something romantic was in the air, put on makeup and earrings before a day of hiking. I remember thinking it unusual, but honestly didn’t compute that she may have been on to me. That day ended without any questions popped, and the next day, with a 10 mile hike ahead of us, Molly forewent makeup thinking that I wouldn’t possibly ask her to marry me during such a strenuous hike.

At the midpoint (about 3 hours in), we ate our packed lunch and Molly and I sat together looking out at Yosemite Valley. I had the ring case in my hand, and was trying to figure out how to go about a proposal (“which finger does a ring go on”, “which hand”…). Molly was leaning back against me, and while I was gearing myself up for the big moment, she said, “Jacob, your heart is beating really fast!” My cover blown, I presented the ring and launched into a romantic monologue that had everything a proposal should have, save for the actual question, which I forgot to ask. (“Was there something you wanted to ask me in addition to giving me this ring?”)

Fast forward again, and here we are! Planning a wedding!

We are so thankful for all the people in our lives who we get to share our time with, and are really excited to spend an evening with those of you able to attend our little event. We look forward to seeing you all soon!