2014, Rachel was home from Penn State for winter break when she and Alan both swiped right and matched. It must have been meant to be, both of their search radius's were set for 25 miles yet they lived 36 miles away from one another.
Our first date was just a short week after meeting online at Cheesecake Factory in Columbia, Maryland. The cliche lunch and a movie (American Hustle). It was love at first sight.
Like most 19 year olds, the distance with Rachel at Penn State and Alan in Maryland was not possible to maintain. We ended the relationship and in the following year started seeing other people. However, we never lost touch and became each other's best friend. Fast forward to 2016, both single. It was time to rekindle our relationship.
With the help of our friend Sarah, Alan planned the perfect proposal at Penn State the weekend of the 2018 Penn State vs Ohio State football game. Having spent so many weekends together up at Penn State while Rachel was still in school, Penn State almost became a second home to Alan. There was no place else he could have imagined asking her to spend the rest of their lives together.