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We were in our first week at the University of Minnesota, during welcome week. After convocation on the second day, we were directed to meet up with our respective groups. After hiking up all the stairs in Mariucci hockey arena, we found our group - the same group! Looking for someone to talk to, we both gravitated towards each other. With some bonding over sisters with the same name (even though spelled differently) and a natural chemistry, we became fast friends. As we made our way to the activity fair, the conversation came easily and instead of branching out to meet others in our group, we ended up spending most of the afternoon together. After that Mikayla often tried to tag along with Austin to his math office hours as he had a better TA, and also he was really smart and could help her with homework. And maybe a little because she kind of liked spending time with him too. We became good friends over the couple months. A couple months later, Mikayla was trying her best to get Austin to make the first move. Due to a mix of being shy and oblivious, Austin didn't make a move (even when Mikayla really wished he would hold her hand as they walked back from their very first dinner date at Chipotle). Eventually, one night when we were sitting next to each other on your typical uncomfortable college futon, Mikayla leaned her head over on Austin's shoulder. Finally realizing that she was indeed into him, Austin put his arm around her, and the the friendship that was already strongly in place began to be something more. After that, we spent the majority of our time together. Whether that was playing cards with friends, studying together, or going to hockey games together, we couldn't get enough of each other. But with winter break coming up, we faced our first hurdle in our relationship, being apart for a whole month (this seemed like forever at the time). A week before leaving for the break, Austin took Mikayla on a walk down by the Mississippi (this time holding her hand the whole time even though it was December in Minnesota). Before they were apart he wanted to tell her something that he had been thinking. As we sat on a rock by the edge of the river, Austin told Mikayla that he loved her, and she said she loved him too! Since then we've been through a lot together: seven years, six moves, four degrees, and one global pandemic. And though it took Austin another five years to propose from that chilly December day, it was from that moment that we both knew we had found our forever person.