Our Story
December 12th, 2018
‘Twas the night before Christmas…
…and all through the house, not a creature was stirring…
…except a bunch of rowers doing a bar crawl in Athens, GA.
Connor and Anna Grace had both been members of the Georgia Rowing team for about two and a half years, and even served on the team’s Officer Board together, but never got to know each other until the rowing team’s annual bar crawl in 2018: the 12 Bars of Christmas.
The Santa hats, cocktails, and mistletoe made for a very fun night.
January 16th, 2019
We made things “official”…
Although we knew Connor would be leaving for a year-long study abroad in Germany in a few months, we decided to take the plunge anyway.
Spring 2019
…and enjoyed a great spring together in Athens.
Our week days consisted of sunny rowing practices, officer meetings, and classes. Our weekends were filled with regattas, parties, and runs together on Milledge Avenue. Connor’s house was only 5 minutes from Anna Grace’s apartment, so spending time together was easy.
August 4th, 2019
Connor flew to Germany…
Connor double majored in Mechanical Engineering and German at UGA, a dual degree program that culminated in a year-long study abroad in Germany, during which students would take engineering courses at a German university in the fall, and intern at a German company in the spring. This study abroad trip had been planned since his freshman year, and he wasn’t due to return to the states until August of 2020.
…while Anna Grace returned to Athens to finish her senior year.
And so began the longest stretch of time we have ever spent apart.
Fall 2019
Long distance
Skype calls, Marco Polo video messages, Snapchats, letters, texts…we stayed in touch constantly for four and a half months. On video calls, we passed the time by reading Harry Potter to each other out loud, switching narrators every two pages. We also wrote each other “Open when” letters that we could open and read if we weren’t able to get in touch with the other because of the time difference.
This period of time was HARD, but looking back, we’re grateful for it. Long distance boiled down all the other love languages and typical aspects of a relationship into communication and trust, and forced us to build a strong foundation on those things alone.
December 17th, 2019
A european reunion
As soon as the fall semester at UGA ended, Anna Grace flew across the pond to spend winter break with Connor. It was the first time either of us had spent Christmas and New Years away from our families, but it was also our only opportunity to see each other in-person for the entire year that Connor was away.
We went to Christmas markets around Karlsruhe, visited Madrid, and went to Switzerland on New Year’s Eve.
January 2020
Aaaaand…back to long distance.
Anna Grace returned to Athens for her final semester at UGA, while Connor stayed in Germany to finish his study abroad that was due to run through August of that year.
March 2020
Hello, Covid.
School will just be closed for two weeks…right?
Nope.
As it was with everyone, we lost and gained things when Covid arrived.
Anna Grace lost her last spring rowing season, in-person classes, and a graduation. Connor lost the last half of his study abroad.
But we both gained the company of our significant other when Connor flew home in late March to finish out his degree from the states.
March - August 2020
long distance social distance.
In the spring and summer of 2020, Anna Grace stayed in Athens to continue working at Trader Joe’s, while Connor moved home and spent time in both Atlanta and Ellijay with his family. While we were finally living in the same state again, we weren’t able to see each other much.
Because Anna Grace was working in a grocery store and had a higher probability of contracting the virus, we were cautious about how much we saw each other, and who we saw after we saw each other, etc…you all remember the stress and uncertainty of the pandemic, especially in the early days.
September 2020 - December 2021
Social distance Medium distance.
Connor finished his degree online, got a job near Macon, GA, and moved down there to start work. Anna Grace got a job as well, and moved to Atlanta. We only saw each other on the weekends, switching off who drove to see the other.
January 2022
Moving to the Queen City!
Connor got a new job in the Charlotte area, and since Anna Grace worked remotely at that point, we both moved up here together.
We were finally, finally, parked in the same place. No more driving every weekend to see the other, no more social distancing and counting days between contact during the pandemic, no more letters, no more Skype calls. It felt like the first time since the spring of 2019 that we were able to reset and spend a lot of time together like a normal couple.
January 2024
Ring on a ski slope
A few days after our five year anniversary, Connor popped the question at a ski resort in Montana. (Thank you to our wonderful friend Molly Dowell for hosting us and photographing the big moment!)
There was indeed a ring on a ski slope, in more ways than one. (If you know, you know.)
August 2024
We bought a house!
We’re not sure why we thought buying a house and planning a wedding at the same time was a good idea, but we got it done! Our cute little ranch house is nestled in the northwest corner of Charlotte.
Our weekends are spent either tackling home improvement projects (Connor’s handyman/engineer heart is very happy), or hosting good friends and family (I’m sorry we don’t have pictures with more of you, we’re terrible at remembering to take them!).
