How We Met

First meeting

The bride and the groom grew up in entirely different parts of Ohio and most likely never entered each other's immediate surroundings before the age of 19. However, since both attended Kent State University, this geographical barrier was removed and they unknowingly found themselves in the same general atmosphere -- a densely populated 17,000-person campus. Under these circumstances, the chances of meeting were still low. They met when said 17,000-person environment shrunk to 25 when the bride and the groom both enrolled in Elementary Japanese class at the start of their sophomore year.

Both being fairly shy, they exchanged a few glances during the first semester of the class but did not exchange words until the second semester when a group project was assigned and they found themselves working in the same group. The first day this group met to discuss the project, a snowy Sunday in January 2003, served as the setting for Leizel and Jeff's first meeting.

Growing closer

Being college students with a good deal of free time, the group project members often met on campus for lunch or dinner and it was during these talks that the bride and groom found themselves talking quite a bit and getting to know each other well. In addition to finding that they both enjoyed the Japanese class and working on the project, they also found they shared many interests, hobbies, and ideas about the world. In addition to frequent meals together, occasionally the Japanese class group and a handful of exchange students would go on road trips. Through these good times, Jeff and Leizel became better and better friends each day.

At the end of the Spring 2003 semester, everyone from the Japanese class group went their separate ways. Jeff returned to Dayton, Leizel returned to Clinton, the exchange students returned to Japan, and the others returned to their hometowns for summer vacation. Due to distance and full-time work schedules during the summer, there wasn't very much communication between the bride and groom during those three months -- save a handful of long emails.

Therefore, upon returning from the long vacation, Leizel and Jeff instantly resumed their hanging out, typically talking for hours or eating dinners together. When the two weren't in class or hanging out together, they were often chatting online together, despite living in neighboring dorms. Dinners with just the two of them went from occasional to almost every night. The pair began hanging out frequently on weekends as well -- to any observer it would've been obvious that it was only a matter of time before they were officially a couple.

The declaration

And eventually, it did. The desire to declare their feelings had been present for awhile but hadn't yet happened due to their shyness, but the silence was finally broken while working on Japanese homework together. It was Leizel who spoke first, although she claims it was partially an accidental slip of the tongue that drew her feelings out. Jeff was very happy to echo her sentiments -- and just like that, they became boyfriend and girlfriend. In the time it took to explain our feelings, the day changed. We know that at 11:50pm on September 22nd, 2003 we weren't a couple and that by 12:10am on the 23rd we were, but unfortunately we don't know (and will never know) when exactly the understanding was made official, and so we have no way of knowing which date is our actual anniversary of becoming a couple -- thus we celebrate both.

[ The Proposal ] [ Return to top ]