Freshman year in college, Kari and Andrew had both lived in the Dickinson dorm building. This was discovered when Kari was hanging out with friends in the dorm room next to Andrews. Andrew walked in and was hanging out for a little while and then had left. Kari knew she had to let one of the neighbors spread the word that she thought he was cute. Andrew felt the same way about her and numbers were eventually exchanged. The following year, Andrew headed off to basic training for the military while Kari went to Siena College. Junior year of college, Kari returned back to Westfield State University and rekindled the relationship with Andrew.

After a few dinner dates, time spent at the local college bars, and attending house parties together, Kari and Andrew got to know each other even better than they previously had. They realized that they were really made for each other and officially began dating at the end of junior year on May 12, 2017. Kari & Andrew spent a lot of senior year together, with Kari frequently visiting their house across from the "Pahk" bar in Westfield. After senior year, they visited each other almost every weekend as their relationship became long-distance (Kari working as a teacher in Holyoke, MA and Andrew working for a moving company out of Boston, MA). A short while later, Andrew was thrilled to know that he had gotten a job offer through Kiewit. Kari was thrilled that Andrew finally had a great job, yet the distance had now increased. Andrew moved in with his uncle and aunt, Fred and Dana Hammel, and now lived in Nyack, New York. Although Kari & Andrew now spent more time on weekends traveling to each other, Fred and Dana kindly invited Kari to visit Nyack whenever she wanted to on the weekends. The wonderful part is, distance did make the heart grow even fonder!

2021 was a difficult year for Kari and Andrew, as it was in January 2021 that Andrew had been deployed with the Army. After approximately 11 months worth of FaceTime calls, many tears, and a new puppy (Kinsley) later, Kari was thrilled to be reunited with Andrew. That was the ultimate test of a long-distance relationship. Andrew's deployment had proved just how strong their relationship really was!

On March 12, 2023 Andrew decided to take Kari for a nice winter walk on the beach. Although it was a bit chilly, the lack of a crowd walking that day made it a very peaceful oceanside walk. Approximately 15 minutes into the walk, Andrew dropped down onto one knee and asked Kari to marry him. Kari excitedly said "yes" and they continued their walk. Thankfully a nice stranger walking on the beach with his daughter snapped a few photos of them, which Kari and Andrew eagerly shared with their families and friends that day. They celebrated the special moment with a trip to a local brewery to get some wood-fired pizza and drinks. The best is yet to come! We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in June!