Anna and Clarke first crossed paths while studying abroad during their junior year of college - on none other than St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin, Ireland. In true American college fashion, the day kicked off at 5 a.m. at the legendary Temple Bar. Surrounded by a blur of USC and Washington classmates, they met briefly - just long enough to exchange names before being swallowed by the green sea of partygoers.

A few hours and a few Guinnesses later, Clarke wandered away from the USC crew to meet up with some high school friends at another bar. To his surprise, Anna had come to the very same place—also to meet her high school friends. Amazed by the coincidence, Clarke approached her, sparking a conversation that would last the rest of the afternoon. They talked for hours, learning more about each other's lives and upbringings in Washington and Tennessee. The spark must have been instantaneous, as the day even ended with a kiss before Anna returned to her Airbnb for the night.

Though the moment was memorable for both of them, the story paused there—Anna flew back to Paris, and Clarke to the Netherlands the very next day.

Two years later, in March of 2021, Clarke moved to Chicago to start a new job and a fresh chapter of his life. Not knowing many people in the city, he reached out to a friend from USC to grab drinks. She agreed and suggested going out on St. Patrick’s Day, inviting her roommate to join them as well.

When Clarke walked into the bar, it was déjà vu—he locked eyes with her roommate, Anna, the very same person he had spent St. Patrick’s Day with exactly two years earlier.

From that moment on, a friendship quickly blossomed, and Anna and Clarke found themselves drawn to each other, spending more and more time together. But deep down, Clarke always felt there was something deeper—he couldn’t shake the sense that fate had brought Anna back into his life for a reason. Though Anna took a bit more convincing, Clarke’s persistence paid off, and they began dating at the start of 2022.

And the rest is history!