It all began in the fall of 2020, freshman year for Jack and Sam at Arizona State University. College was a strange time with COVID in full swing — masks, distancing, and lots of awkward encounters. Technically the two first met at the ASU Catholic Newman Center. Jack’s buddy, Michael, talked him into coming along — he mentioned a pretty Italian girl who loved to cook and insisted Jack had to meet her.

The two introduced themselves… but trying to strike up a conversation in the middle of Mass, six feet apart and wearing masks, wasn’t exactly the easiest way to meet.

The real story kicks off a few months later in the spring of 2021, when Kappa Alpha Order hosted their annual “KAbo Party.” One of Jack’s fraternity brothers had invited some friends from high school — and one of them happened to be Sam. In the Arizona sunshine, with Jack acting as the unofficial lifeguard for the pool party, sparks started to fly.

From there, they kept finding excuses to see each other. By that summer, Jack knew he was in love. He couldn’t get Sam off his mind, so when the chance came to visit her on a girls trip to a Cody Johnson concert in Austin, Texas, he convinced his best friend, Devan, to make the journey with him. They piled into Devan’s 1997 Buick Regal and hit the road. Their trip from Topeka, Kansas, to Austin, was nothing short of an odyssey — battling an insane thunderstorm, dodging a tornado, and nearly getting run off the road by a rogue semi-truck. After grabbing just a couple hours of sleep in a random Oklahoma City parking lot, they finally made it to Sam. And for Jack, every mile was worth it.

Not long after, Jack convinced Sam to join him on an adventure that would become their first official date: hiking the Grand Canyon. Together, they trekked 22 miles down the South Rim, slept beside the Colorado River under the stars, and (nearly) ran out of water on the way back up — saved only by some generous tourists. That trip sealed it. From then on, they were best friends, partners, and each other’s favorite adventure buddies.

Fast forward to September 1, 2024. After graduating college, just before Jack moved to Quantico, Virginia, for Marine Corps training, he decided to recreate that first date. Back at the Grand Canyon, on the same 22-mile trail, Jack asked Sam to marry him on the very bridge where they had watched the stars years before. This time, they packed enough water (and, thankfully, didn’t need to rely on any tourists). Sam said yes — and the rest is history!

S&J

Wedding Day