"Avoid dating your classmates," their physical therapy professor warned. "It almost never ends well—you’re stuck in class with them for three years, and it can get awkward." Kelly and John decided to ignore that advice, diving into a relationship just three weeks into school. They first met at a welcome event at a brewery. Kelly found John to be kind and funny, albeit a bit shy. John, on the other hand, admired Kelly’s intelligence and confidence, though he thought she was out of his league. He decided to take a chance anyway. First Date Their first date was filled with nerves, tacos, and margaritas—the latter helping to ease those jitters. First Year The first year of their relationship was marked by study sessions (which Kelly might argue were more like "tutoring sessions"), Duke basketball games, and countless hangouts with their PT school friends. When the COVID lockdown hit, Kelly spent three months with John’s family. John was impressed by how effortlessly Kelly blended in with his family under such stressful circumstances, while Kelly figured, "If we can survive this, we can survive anything." Second Year The turning point in their relationship came during Duke’s “Match Day,” when second-year PT students select, via a draft, where they’ll spend three thirteen-week rotations in their final year. As fate would have it, the draft board worked in their favor. They “accidentally” landed rotations together in Arizona and Colorado. During these rotations, they got a glimpse of what a life together could be like - easy and fun. On the drive from Arizona to Colorado, after plowing through a tumbleweed in New Mexico, John thought, "I can’t—and don’t want to—imagine my life without Kelly. I guess I need a ring." Houston After graduation, they moved to Texas. As time went on, the number of engagement ring pictures Kelly sent John on Instagram grew exponentially each month. On family vacation in Harbor Springs, Michigan, John asked Kelly’s dad for her hand (even though Kelly was SURE he was proposing that night). Engagement The day before the proposal in Paris, the photographer emailed John, advising, “I suggest doing it at 8 a.m. The lighting will be perfect, and you won’t be sweating through your clothes.” John told Kelly they had a photoshoot at 8 a.m. John never plans anything, let alone a photoshoot. She knew immediately what was coming. They returned to the U.S. with bellies full of croissants and hearts full of excitement for a lifetime together.