Whitney had just transferred back home from Ohio State to attend Virginia Tech. Not thrilled with her decision at all, and very sad with leaving some of the best friends she had made. In order to go to Virginia Tech, Whitney had to take a semester at the local community college to make up some classes. Again, not happy about this. The first few weeks were really tough. But, there was this cute guy in her math and biology class. We started sitting closer to one another and before I knew it I was printing and taking notes for this guy. Dakota quickly became my saving grace. He quickly became my best friend. We had similar stories and situations at the time, and we both were putting smiles on the other ones faces when we both thought that wasn't something we would have again. We spent the semester dissecting pigs and not doing well in pre-calc. We then started our early twenties together and the rest is history!

Dakota had never been to New York City before. We had talked for a year or two about going. And what a more magical time of year to go than Christmas/New Years. Everything was booked, we took the train up, we got to see all the big sights, and we were extremely lucky enough to have second row seats to Hamilton! Big shout out to Gary, Lucy, and Lauren Harris for making that happen! So here we are at New Year' Eve. We didn't want to stand outside for hours to see the ball drop; plus it was pouring out. We had big dinner plans that ended up not turning out the way they were supposed to. We were stuck at 11:30 pm trying to figure out where to go see the ball drop, since that was supposed to be apart of dinner. Everywhere was packed, and it was still pouring. We ended up arguing and getting frustrated, because our night was not panning out as we thought it would. We are big homebodies, so we just decided it was time to go back to the hotel. Both of us were not happy and I think there may have been tears involved. Not the happy kind. We are back in the room, and I go to freshen up, dry tears, whatever it was; about a minute or so before midnight. I come out of the bathroom, and there Dakota is; down on one knee, smiling, and crying. This may seem silly and very uneventful to most. But, this ended up being perfect. We usually end up home; not out and about. We are both private people, so a big proposal in front of strangers would have been weird. It was just us watching the ball drop in the hotel room, in the city it was being dropped in. It was perfect.

We will be celebrating our next chapter on June 12, 2021. We are getting married at the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, VA. Neither one of us really knew where we wanted to get married. But, once we toured the Taubman something just felt right. It was different and beautiful. We are so excited to celebrate our story with all of our family and friends! More details are to come.