Jonah's Telling: As with many love stories that came before us, ours took time to develop. Emily and I lived in the same freshman dorm, so naturally we met during our first year in college. While our social circles overlapped on several occasions (for example, I haphazardly stumbled into participating in her friend group’s Secret Santa gift exchange), we would not become friends until a shared class in January, 2017, which prompted the occasional lunch or study session together. Though I remained ignorant at the time, Emily—ever the discerning member of our duo—decided there was a romantic chemistry between us, and she set her sights on convincing me of that fact. As so often is the case, I would eventually come to realize that she was right, and I could not be more retroactively grateful for her patience and determination in bringing me up to speed on the matter. We solidified our friendship when we both made it into the St. Olaf Choir entering into our Sophomore year—a fact that I so tactfully disclosed to her in a text before she was able to check the audition results for herself. Facing the same direction in the same room for ninety minutes each day allowed us to bond by proximity and shared experience, and we continued to go on “caf dates” together for dinners after rehearsal, leading some to believe we already were dating. It wasn’t until the start of our Junior year, however, that we agreed to a more formal relationship—an arrangement that remained intact until December 29, 2022 . . .

Emily's Telling: Traveling home to visit Minnesota during the holidays is a cherished time for both of us. Living in Baltimore means that our opportunities to spend quality time with our families are few and far between. A few days after Christmas, at the Berthelsen home in Northfield, MN, we went for a walk with Erik, Nathan, and Joy (Jonah's siblings). We walked on campus at St. Olaf College, reminiscing about each of our undergrad experiences. We talked about our time together in the St. Olaf Choir, all the times we met up at the Caf for lunch ... and that one time I snuck out of RA duty to meet Jonah for a movie in Viking Theatre. We rounded the corner of Old Main, the building where we first had a class together, and took in the view over the hill, and of the town beyond. Jonah had hoped to kneel down at the very top of the hill, but it was covered in snow, so he settled for the adjacent parking lot, taking me thoroughly by surprise. After a sweet "Will you marry me?" a thrilled "Yes!", and cheering from the sibling audience, we all walked back to the Berthelsen home to show off the new ring and celebrate. Upon entering the house, we were greeted by my parents and siblings, who Jonah had invited for a surprise engagement party. It was a day filled with love and joy, never to be forgotten!