Sam and Alyssa met on the very first night of college their freshman year. Their introduction wasn't memorable as they exchanged the typical name, college major, and social media information and went about their nights. Over the course of the next year they shared mutual friends, ran into each other on the elevators, and attended hall events together. Sam always thought Alyssa was cute (duh) and Alyssa always thought Sam was funny (obviously). Fast forward to their sophomore year, Alyssa and Sam had become the ultimate wingmen accompanying their mutual friends on group dates and hangouts. What began as them being innocent tag alongs quickly developed into something much bigger. They began to learn more about each other and become fast friends. I guess this makes them the worst wingman and woman of all time.

After continuing to spend time together and learning more about each other over the course of a month, Sam was ready to take the next step. On a car ride back to the dorms from a basketball game, Sam told Alyssa he really liked her and wanted to pursue her (little did he know). All Alyssa would say was wow! And of course yes! Sam had a grand plan for the first date: watching the sunset and then going to get cinnamon rolls! He promptly picked Alyssa up and headed for the lookout spot. As they pulled up, a big red sign hanging on a closed gate said "no entry" so they resorted to plan B and headed to another. While this lookout spot was open, there was absolutely no view of the sun. They didn't care though! They sat and talked, and talked, and then talked some more until they realized 4 hours had passed by. When they checked the time they realized the cinnamon rolls place was closed, and they both had to be back home soon. This date was the first of many long talks and the start of making the most of every circumstance together!

As they finished up their last semester of undergrad, Sam knew he wanted to propose to Alyssa soon. On November 3rd, Sam met Alyssa's parents for dinner in Roanoke, VA and asked if he could marry their daughter. It wasn't long after he designed and bought the perfect ring that he began planning the proposal. Alyssa didn't make keeping the secret easy as she interrogated friends and family regularly. Despite this, everyone was a lockbox and Alyssa was truly shocked when it came much sooner than she expected. Sam picked out Peaks of Otter, a stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway with a lake and trails, to propose at. With the help of family and friends, Sam planned an engagement party to come back to celebrate with all of their loved ones. On December 2nd, Sam picked Alyssa up for a lunch date and a drive to the parkway. She knew almost instantly something was up. Her thoughts were confirmed as they drove up to the lake and pieces started coming together. When they had completed the trail, Sam got down on one knee and asked Alyssa to be his wife. She jumped with joy and said yes!