Sam and Tom first met via overlapping friend groups. Over Halloween weekend of senior year at the University of Dayton, Tom's house hosted a small evening get-together to which they invited their next door neighbors. As fate would have it, Sam was part of that group. Between small talk and party games, they hit it off that first evening (at least in Tom's perspective). Years later, down the line, Tom came to learn Sam's true feelings about that first night -- "He's cute, but skinny jeans and converse shoes? ... tough". However, as weeks went by and their paths continued to cross, Sam's view began to change. Not on the sense of style, unfortunately.

Their first official date was shortly after Valentine's Day. This involved taking the bus from campus to the Oregon district for dinner and drinks at Lucky's Tavern. Over the course of this evening, Tom mentioned off-handedly that he was attempting to plan a camping trip for the upcoming spring break. Much to Tom's surprise, Sam revealed that camping was a common pastime for her family while growing up. Without knowing it at the time, this mutual love for the outdoors and camping became a central aspect of their developing relationship. That night (while still on their first date!) Sam and Tom made plans to spend part of their spring break together, ultimately ending up at Mammoth Cave in Southern Kentucky.

From there, March 2020 brought many abrupt changes. While spring break may have started a few days early due to unforeseen circumstances, Sam and Tom made good on their plans for camping; making it down to Mammoth cave to tour the expansive underground caverns during the day and shelter away in the tent during the heavy rainfall at night. This trip at the start of quarantine created a foundation for their relationship - one that emphasized the importance of quality time and flexibility. Following the drive back to Ohio, Sam and Tom stayed in contact via numerous zoom call movie nights, text conversations, and late night calls. Around this time, Sam committed to the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine, solidifying her plans to stay in the Cincinnati area. Because of this, and some hefty encouragement from one of his best friends Brady, Tom moved out shortly after graduation to work as a door-dasher in Dayton. During this move to the first apartment, Sam graciously offered to help alongside Tom's Mom and older brother Danny. While finishing up the last minute tidying up, Tom's Mom tried to make small talk with Tom and Sam asking, "So how long have you two been dating?" This was met with some chuckling and blushing as Sam and Tom hadn't fully defined their relationship yet. Shortly after Danny and Tom's Mom left to head back home is when Tom casually broached the topic with ... "so, about that comment Mom made...?" This interaction, however, was par for the course for the start of their relationship. This time was marked with plenty of unexpected turns in life and their reliance on the importance of quality time and flexibility is what made their relationship stronger every day.

Tom eventually began working towards a graduate degree while Sam's medical school studies kicked into high gear. Oddly enough, this made for a great combination as both became quite involved in their respective studies. Quality time together became brisk walks between extended study dates, as well as occasional dinners out to celebrate one's success or another. This period of their relationship was marked by a certain rhythm, switching back and forth between who's apartment they'd spend the weekend at and who would make dinner while the other was cramming for an exam. After Tom finished his graduate program, the weekly hour-long drive became less attractive for the two. Tom took a job in Cincinnati and moved to northern Kentucky with Sam who was beginning her clinical years of medical school. Dropping the hour long drive was a great benefit to moving in; however, it made hiding a ring much more difficult. Not so difficult as to be impossible though. In fact, Sam wasn't aware of the rings existence in the apartment for months before the engagement.

The proposal itself took place during a fall vacation to Zion National Park in Utah. Flying out to Las Vegas and driving the three hours out to Zion gave Tom plenty of time to continously practice his proposal speech in his head. After being incredibly suspicious by relentlessly insiting on a sunrise hike to the canyon overlook on a particular morning, they made it to the place Tom had arranged with the surprise photographer. Through a mix of emotions and tears of joy, Tom fumbled his way through his planned speech, hitting only the major points he could remember in the heat of the moment. Luckily the message was coherent enough and Sam said yes! Shortly thereafter, the surprise photographer introduced herself and captured the moment for them to cherish. The detail probably most characteristic of the nature of Sam and Tom's relationship came after their sunrise hike had concluded. They got breakfast, coffee, and called members of the family to celebrate the news. But following the end of those celebratory phone calls, the two ditched their valuables (engagement ring too!) in the rental car, geared up in water-proof weighters and trekked up through the Narrows hike within Zion National Park! While trekking through a frigid, flowing creek at the base of a converging canyon may not have been a traditional sort of post-engagement activity, it was one that was uniquely personal to the two. In the remainder of their trip and days thereafter, the two enjoyed several celebratory dinners and periods of quality time to commemorate the new step they'd taken together in their lives.