Austin and I met early in our college careers at Indiana University - Austin was a freshman and I was a sophomore. I was studying for my accounting final in a random business school classroom with my friend Jack when Austin joined our room. Soon after, Austin invited me to his fraternity date party, which I declined. But many texts, phone calls, and snapchats later, Austin finally convinced me to go on a date with him and the rest is history! Since then, we have traveled Europe together, moved to Cincinnati, bought our first home, and adopted the best pup in the world. I am very thankful for Austin's persistence and dedication to getting me to agree to a date!

Austin proposed on December 4, 2018 – a Tuesday. With the help of my friend and bridesmaid Alyssa, he tricked me into going to Devou Park where he was waiting with a ring in his pocket. I was completely shocked and not expecting it at all – because who expects to get engaged on a Tuesday? The whole event is a blur of happiness and smiles. I don’t even think I let Austin finish the question before shouting yes. As I was awestruck staring into the most beautiful ring, he told me there was another surprise, and our families and our pup emerged from where they had been hiding in the bitter cold for far too long. We popped champagne to celebrate and then went to dinner at the restaurant we spent our first Valentine’s Day together. The surprises didn’t end there though – he had planned an entire trip for us. We were going on a flight to Jackson, Wyoming, the next morning at 8 am. He had coordinated every detail, from getting us ski gear packed to arranging vacation from work. We had a whole week in Jackson Hole to ski, relax, be engaged, and in love. It was truly a fairytale proposal, and a week I will never forget.

With the help of Alyssa, Jill, Steve, my mother, my father, and grandparents - I set to propose in a way that would never be forgotten. I knew it had to be done right because I could only do it once. Long story short (the long story is long like George R. R. Martin long), I wanted to completely surprise her, overwhelm her with happiness, and enjoy the moment/beginning of the engagement. To surprise her - I did it on a Tuesday, in the dark, in a park, when it was freezing cold. I bet you're surprised too. To overwhelm her with happiness – while I know she would’ve been happy with just the proposal, I knew she would want our immediate family members to be there to celebrate. After she said "of course," I spun her around to revel the faint outlines (it was dark remember) of our family members who began to cheer for us. Then to cap it off, we all celebrated at one of Olivia's favorite restaurants in Cincinnati (Skyline was booked.) To savor the moment - ok, to this point it's been pretty decent but you're thinking "he said unforgettable...." After we had our wine poured, I stood up for a small toast, as if I hadn't given enough important speeches that night already, I thanked everyone for being there and mentioned how much it meant to both Olivia and I that they were there to celebrate this evening with us. As my speech was concluding, I said "and everyone remember, Olivia and I can't get too crazy tonight because our flight to Jackson Hole leaves tomorrow at 8 a.m." The look on Olivia's face was perfect. I went on to tell her I had also booked and planned a five-day vacation to Jackson Hole, to ski, tour wildlife, go to the spa, and explore. I'll never forget that night with those people. Thank you again for being there. Lastly, sorry ladies, I'm taken.