How We Met

Our paths originally crossed somewhere between 2012-2013 when we were both in the Pharmaceutical Sciences program at Ohio State. Although we didn't know each other then, we recognized each other by the time we entered our first year of Pharmacy School. There was a class (medicinal chemistry recitation) held every Friday morning that very few of our classmates chose to attend. Eventually there were 3-4 people attending every week, including us. We don't remember a lot about the first conversations we had, but at one point Stephanie was eating pretzels and Garrett quipped, "these pretzels are making me thirsty." Now, only the fans of the hit sitcom Seinfeld will recognize the importance of that statement. Stephanie had never met someone who shared her affinity for Seinfeld culture and from that moment she was hooked! The school year progressed, as did the flirting, until Spring Break 2015. We kept in contact through Facebook and texting until Garrett mentioned that he (thought) he could make Skyline chili. Stephanie asked when he'd make it for her and we ended up making plans for our first date. Garrett made Skyline and we watched Disney movies. After that night it was pretty clear to each of us that we had found our soulmate. Through the next few years we survived those at-times brutal first year of pharmacy school, traveled to Walt Disney World, and attended as many Buckeye football games as we could. And then, after a couple years, we spent an amazing day in Orlando and got engaged.
The Proposal
I always knew that I needed to propose to Stephanie at Disney World. The real question, however, was WHERE, exactly, and when. Normally I'm pretty decisive, but making sure something was perfect for Stephanie made me a nervous wreck. Stephanie's family had been planning a vacation to Disney World around July 4th, 2017. Stephanie had been very disappointed that pharmacy school rotations would prevent her from joining them. Then on Mother's Day weekend 2017, her family surprised her with a plane ticket to join them for the weekend. Once I learned about that I enlisted her family to help. They helped me line up a flight to secretly join the family in Orlando and at the Magic Kingdom. On June 30th, 2017, I dropped Stephanie off at the airport. I woke up at 3am the next morning to catch a flight from Columbus to Orlando. I was tired, but one thing I was NOT was nervous. I was excited and could not wait to see her shock and joy when she saw me there. I made my way to Gaston's Tavern in the Beauty and the Beast section of the park to wait for the family to arrive. Once they arrived and lined Stephanie up for a picture, I walked out to surprise her and propose to her. And, well, you can see what happened next below. I've never had a happier day in my life. That is, of course, until July 6th rolls around.
---Garrett