Zach and Grace both attended Penn State Behrend in Erie, Pennsylvania. They shared the same dual major which meant they had a lot of classes together throughout their college years. During freshman year they even sat a few feet away from each other in their Economics class but never spoke to each other. Until one Sunday morning in November of Junior year, Zach sent Grace a DM on Instagram inviting her to coffee and asking to 'be friends.' For those who don't know Zach, he HATES coffee. Grace proposed going to Cracker Barrel instead which Zach gladly accepted. After their morning class, they headed off to Cracker Barrel to enjoy some pancakes and conversation. That weekend, Grace invited Zach over to see her college apartment. They spent all day talking and went out to Olive Garden for lunch. In the Olive Garden parking lot, Zach found a small painted rock and Zach kept it in his car to remember the day they had shared together (Hint: This is important later in the story.)

From that Olive Garden date onward, Zach and Grace spent most of their free time together. Zach even invited Grace to his family's Christmas party in Pittsburgh for the weekend as a 'friend', only a month after their breakfast at Cracker Barrel. In January, Zach had his parents come up for the weekend and invited Grace to tag along with them for lunch. After they headed home to Pittsburgh, Zach was very persistent that we went to Olive Garden for dinner (which Grace was not in the mood for). But, they went to Olive Garden nonetheless. When they were in the parking lot of Olive Garden, Zach 'found' another painted rock in the parking lot which read "Will you be my girlfriend?" Of course, Grace said yes! Only a few short weeks after that, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They wrapped up their Senior Year by attending classes virtually. Fast forward, Zach and Grace graduated college and moved into an apartment together in Erie. They settled into their full-time jobs and life outside of college. A year later, they purchased a house in Erie and welcomed home their dog, Sammi.

Zach planned a weekend away for Grace's 24th birthday in Niagara Falls, Canada. The weekend ended up being cold and rainy but they made the best of it. (Ripley's Believe It or Not, Casino, Out for Dinner) and several calls to Zach's family. Little did Grace know, Zach's family was also in Niagra Falls for the weekend for the special occasion. The next day, Zach and Grace went for a long walk along Niagara Falls. And they continued walking and walking and walking in the rain. Every so often Zach would look backward or over to the parking lots... Grace knew something was up. Once they got to an outlook of the Horseshoe Falls, Zach got down on one knee and propose to Grace and she said Yes! In the background of the proposal were Grace and Zach's families, who Zach helped coordinate to be there to help them celebrate the engagement.