As the summer in Oxford, Ohio, before our senior year wound down, we both ended up at a mutual friend's party. The person standing between us stepped away, and we turned to each other to strike up a new conversation. We talked the entire rest of the night and have been inseparable since. Our story has taken us from Miami University, back to our shared roots in the Chicagoland area, to Washington DC for Pat's graduate school, to Cincinnati for Natalie's career, and, now, to Omaha, Nebraska.

Pat planned a whirlwind trip over Labor Day in 2022. Given the significance of southwest Ohio to our relationship, there was no better place for Pat to pop the question than Cincinnati. We went to many of our favorite places in town, going to a Reds game, the Cincinnati Zoo, our favorite Chinese takeout place, and, finally, the Loveland Bike Trail, a place we frequented on many weekends that Natalie lived there for a relaxing walk through the woods. After the engagement, we continued the celebration by taking a riverboat cruise in Cincinnati for the Labor Day fireworks and culminated the trip by returning to Miami University, officially as future Miami Mergers. We're so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you. See you in Chicago!