In the summer of 2014, Brandon and Sarah had few things in common. They graduated from different colleges, had no mutual friends, and were on separate career paths. Brandon graduated from law school and was studying for the bar exam. Sarah was working multiple jobs, saving to become a teacher. In fact, the only commonality they shared was their apartment building; they were next-door neighbors. One June morning, Sarah let Oakley - her roommate Sadie's dog - outside. When Oaks didn't return quickly, Sarah assumed she was next door playing with their neighbor Josh's dog. However, when she knocked on their door, Brandon answered. Oakley had let herself in while he was cooking bacon. After that exchange, the two began talking more often, eventually exchanging numbers after running into each other at a World Cup watch party. They texted while Sarah was in the Philippines for two weeks. When Sarah came home, board game nights began between the four neighbors. A group karaoke night was planned to mark the end of the men's bar exam. However, when the day came, Sadie developed a migraine and Josh accidentally went camping. Brandon and Sarah decided to still go. Downtown, they ran into a group of Sarah's friends who joined in the celebration. Brandon and Sarah spent the evening singing, dancing, and laughing. They held hands returning to the car, and when Brandon walked Sarah to her door, he kissed her goodnight. It was August 1st - a week before Brandon moved to Little Rock to start a new job. They disagree about that being their first date (Sarah says it was salsa dancing in Little Rock), and because of the distance, they never had a formal, "will you be my boyfriend/girlfriend?" discussion; exclusive dating just happened. However, they know when they had their first kiss, and they know they've talked almost every single day since then. They know they fell in love, and after four years of dating, they know they want to spend the rest of their lives together.

Almost three years after their first kiss, Sarah moved to Little Rock to work as a teacher in a nearby town and to be closer to Brandon. It was the first time since Fayetteville that the two were living in the same city. Brandon told Sarah all week that he wanted to go hiking - he said he needed sunshine, that Sarah's puppy needed exercise, that they hadn't gone hiking in a long time - and was very determined to take her to Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Brandon was so anxious to be outdoors that on Friday, when Sarah protested the early morning departure time, he said, "You don't need to take a shower first - we're going to be outside so be ready to leave on time!" It was a beautiful day. It was early, and the trail along the river was cool. Bonnie was excited to be out swimming in the water and chasing birds and squirrels along the trail. Brandon patiently took photos of Bonnie and Sarah on the puppy's first excursion to a park that Brandon and Sarah often frequented. After Bonnie was thoroughly covered in mud from one final swim, Brandon asked to hold on to her, because he had a question for Sarah. There, on the Kingfisher Trail, Brandon asked if Sarah would be his wife. Sarah cried and said "Yes!" Bonnie jumped around and got mud on everyone.