Our Story

In the Beginning - by Billy

Rachel and I met our freshman year at the University of Missouri (Go Tigers!) in 2014. Because we're big nerds, we both immediately got involved in our residence hall's student government, the Residence Halls Association (RHA). Rachel and I knew of each other, but hadn't interacted much until I was invited to her hall council's winter formal. I remember staying at the end to help clean up and that's where I got to talk with Rachel a bit more. As I left, I hugged Rachel for the first time. Little did I know the impact this one moment would have on my life. I'll always be grateful I accepted that invitation. As our semester ended, I asked Rachel if she wanted to run with me as my Vice President for RHA (see left for one of our campaign pics! #HeartMizzou). From that moment, we spent every day campaigning and running RHA together as Prez and Veep. I still remember losing track of time and staying at the Student Center past closing way too many nights (my sleep schedule has yet to recover). We would talk for hours about how to improve the campus and help others. These conversations were inspired by Rachel's passion for advocacy. I've always admired her sheer tenacity and drive to make change. She always had a way of making people feel empowered to do and be more. In all these moments with Rachel, I began to feel that I truly found my best friend. When our term in RHA ended, all I could think about was what would be next for us. This was the moment I realized I fell hard for Rachel (our friends called it). 

Our First Date - by Rachel

In late 2016, well after we finished our term in RHA, Billy told me he had a crush on me (of course, I already knew. At my 21st birthday party he pulled one person at a time into the hallway to tell them this "secret"). I was scared to be honest. I didn't want to lose our friendship, and I hadn't even let myself think about liking him because we took our roles in RHA very seriously (even though I had talked about the possibility, A LOT, to my high school friend group who were convinced Billy and I would get together as soon as they saw our RHA campaign pics.) After taking a couple months to think about it, and some very sappy texts from Billy over spring break, we decided to catch up over some drinks with no pressure. We spontaneously went to karaoke with some friends and then stayed up until 4am just talking. It wasn't supposed to be a "date", but it for sure felt like it. I felt so at ease around Billy. I had the most fun with him. And I was feeling so excited after this "date", that I knew that I would be stupid not to take the risk. After that I knew I wanted to give this a try. A couple days later over some pasta at noodles & co I told Billy I finally made up my mind and said, "If you asked me out I wouldn't say no." Romantic, I know.

The Panini - by Rachel

Enter our pandemic era. In March 2020 everything shut down in NYC, and so did all job prospects Billy was interviewing for in the city too. My job went 100% remote, so I stayed with Billy in Syracuse while he finished his last semester. Though we moved in together sooner than expected, it was such a relief being able to have Billy by my side during the scariest part of the pandemic. We spent our days binge watching anime, hiking, and trying all the different ice cream places within driving distance. Thankfully just two days before his lease ended that summer, Billy got an area director job at LeMoyne college in Syracuse. So began our journey of moving back into campus housing (full circle!). Even though we were stuck inside a lot, we had really amazing friends around us, both in person and virtually, and made the most of it. 

After many months of searching petfinder and visiting a local shelter, we finally took the leap to become cat parents. In January 2021 we adopted Kida and Milo! Kida is a super curious and chaotic calico. She enjoys throwing herself at our bedroom curtains to wake us up in the mornings. Her love language is quality time, and wants to be wherever we are. We nicknamed her Motor Boat because her purrs are so loud. Milo is a very cautious and cuddly grey tabby. He enjoys carrying his favorite toy around our apartment while howling at 2am. His love language is physical touch, and will jump up on his back legs for head pets. They both love people and are very social! 

The Big Question - by Billy

In October 2021 we sadly said goodbye to Syracuse and moved to Lowell, MA where I started a new job at the University of Massachusetts. Shortly after our move, I took Rachel down to Martha's Vineyard for a nice weekend away. unbeknownst to her I was planning to propose (she totally saw it coming). My original plan was to propose back in 2020 in front of the columns at Mizzou, but sadly we got COVID that year. In the end, it worked out for the best. We had a lovely weekend seeing the coast, visiting various lighthouses, and having some incredible food. As we neared dinner one night, I shared with Rachel that we had a brief stop to make on the way. Unfortunately for Rachel, this "brief" stop turned into a proposal and a several hour photoshoot to follow. Yes, I took her to dinner right after, I promise!  As we walked to the proposal spot, Rachel pointed out that the purple flowers growing were the same that she had at her childhood house. I totally told her that I planned that all along. When the moment finally came, I was so nervous I think I asked Rachel 3 times to marry me. I'm just speechless sometimes when it comes to her, what can I say? Afterwards, we had an amazing dinner at a local restaurant where they had champagne ready. Now here we are, planning for the big day!