Dray swears he met me at a party my college roommates and I threw, but I don't remember him! I saw him in our Peace, War, and Defense class at UNC Chapel Hill. By "saw", I mean I kept making eye contact with this kid who couldn't stop staring at me. It was a filler class for me (Dad was a Marine and all), but it was a core class for Dray's history major. One day, he pretended he missed class and didn't know answers to the homework, so he asked for my number through social media. I'm too smart to fall for that one, so I almost didn't reply to his message. One of my friends knew him and told me to quit being mean and just give the poor guy my number! So, I did. I unenthusiastically replied with enough bite to warn him not to text me for anything other than help on homework. He spent the rest of the semester sending ME the answers to the homework while I did everything and anything but go to class. Slowly, but surely, I let my guard down and started to agree to dates. In the end, I got the better grade, but I also got the love of my life. To this day, he is still just as patient and charming.

I met Lauren for the first time in passing at a party her roommate threw our sophomore year of college. I wish I could say it was love at first sight, but she has no recollection of this interaction and I barely do. Now to bring you to the first time we *both* remember meeting. Fast forward a few months later to the onset of our junior year. During syllabus week, an anomaly caught my eye while leaving my first Air Power class: a beautiful girl. Most of my core classes in college were about military history, so a sight such as this was not something I was accustomed to seeing in a lecture hall. In case you're wondering, it was Lauren. I don't remember what building the class was in, nor do I remember what she was wearing. I do, however, recall telling myself I needed to find a way to get to know that good looking girl better. So, I did what any strapping young stud would do when such a fair maiden caught my gaze: I immediately averted eye contact & sent her a message via Instagram later that evening in a poorly veiled attempt to get her number. Somehow, by the grace of God himself, it worked. I spent the next few weeks going to class hoping to see her, and instead would end up sending her notes from lecture (she skipped class a lot). I didn't care, it was as good of an excuse as any to talk to her. My notes must have been pretty good because she ended up getting a better grade than I did, as she so thoroughly enjoys to tell anyone who will listen. It's crazy to think that signing up for a class about airplanes would result in meeting my wife, but I'm sure glad it did. If there's any moral to this story, it's to go to class. Cheers!