It all started on a warm summer's day back in 2019, where Sam was back in Charlottesville for midsummers taking a break from her internship at THE U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Ryan had just moved into 320 (the inferior ski team house) where he met Sam in her usual spot on the porch swing.

Although just a brief meeting, the butterfly effect lead them to start a relationship a few months later when they got to know each other during ski season. While neither were known for being the fastest on the mountain, they always brought the vibes and jello -- leading to their unofficial appointment as the 2020 VASST B-Team Captains. This naturally created a spark between them when coupled with the magic of the Mount Jackson Motel 6. Sam stole what turned out to be one of many of Ryan's Barstool Sports sweatshirts, and soon a young love began.

Just a few short weeks after they started hanging out, the pandemic began -- leading to a trial by fire for their relationship. They created a quarantine bubble filled with breakfast margaritas, 2400 pushups, Tiger King, and one disasterous roasted chicken incident. Fortunately, this was just the magic needed to turn their budding relationship into true love.

Upon graduation, Sam moved to D.C. to start a new job while Ryan finished up his last semester of Zoom University. They visited each other often, until moving in together in the fall of 2021. Quickly realizing the swamp life wasn't for them, they moved down to Richmond in the fall of 2022 where Chewy finally got the backyard she deserved.

In July 2023, Ryan and Sam joined their friends on their annual expedition to Syracuse, Indiana -- home of the World Renowned "The Frog." It was business as usual when Ryan asked Sam if she'd like to go out on a sunset boat ride. Not thinking much of it, Sam donned her finest sweatpants and joined him for what would turn out not to be a normal pontoon adventure. She knew it was proposal time when Elton John came on and Ryan soon got down on one knee to pop the question, which she of course said yes to. They finished their adventure with a night of performance art and pink champagne -- a perfect end to a perfect day.

At the end of July, Sam and Ryan moved out to Colorado Springs where they've spent the last several months exploring the beautiful landscape, finding dog friendly bars, and planning the perfect wedding.