Nothing beats a Pumpkin Spice Latte in the Fall. The weather has finally cooled enough to warrant hot beverages again, a trip to one (or many) local coffee shops is always a welcome break in the day, and the warming spices foreshadow the nostalgia of the holidays ahead. Yet, there is one thing that can make a PSL even better – and that is if someone brings you one as a treat. For me, this very thing happened as I was arriving for my shift as a Graduate Assistant at the Missouri State School of Accountancy on November 19, 2021. And the person who brought me this sumptuous drink really is what sent this whole experience over the edge – my crush, Reid Alexander. This PSL wasn’t just any PSL – it was the very last one of the season from Coffee Ethic, my favorite coffee shop downtown. Reid had to specifically ask if they had any PSLs left because they had just switched to their holiday Peppermint Mocha. They just so happened to have enough homemade syrup for exactly One. More. Drink. Naturally, after receiving this delicious beverage and hearing of the commitment it took to actually follow through on this surprise, I drew the only conclusion possible – Reid must be in love with me. This was seemingly great news to me! However, as it turned out, Reid was just a very sweet and thoughtful guy. Little did I know, it would be several more months before the confession of any such deeper feelings.

Reid was the only guy out of six of us GAs that year. He held his own and quickly won over Dr. Church (Head of the School of Accountancy) and Tamara (Dr. Church’s assistant) in addition to the rest of us. We met on the job, August 16, 2021, about a week before the start of our last year at MSU as graduate students and the first day of the year that would begin the many grueling hours ahead studying for the CPA exam. I was lucky to get to know Reid as we exchanged stories about grading hundreds of assignments, watching hours of online test videos, and trying to figure out how on Earth we would be able to learn enough information to pass not one but FOUR exams to qualify as Certified Public Accountants. Neither of us had much free time, but we took solace in the fact that we weren’t alone in pursuing our goals.

Between working and studying, Reid and I found ourselves in the GA office together quite a bit. He would recount stories of his days in FIJI, I would recount how earlier in the week my roommate and I read the whole script of Napoleon Dynamite for fun. While at first glance it may seem like the similarities were slim, I shortly learned that Reid could quote just as many Rex Kwon Do lines as I could and his core beliefs weren’t too different from my own. I enjoyed hearing about his then seven nieces and nephews (now eight!) and could tell early on how much his family meant to him. Green flag!

As Reid and I began to get to know each other better, we began developing more of a friendship. Reid worked the last shift at the front desk some days and I worked the first shift the next, so he would leave me little notes for when I arrived in the morning. Somewhere along the way he figured out that I liked sour candy. The office for the College of Business just down the hall happened to keep Sour Patch Kids on hand at their front desk. Candies began accompanying the notes. First just one at a time, then progressing into me arriving to a series of sticky notes leading me on a mini scavenger hunt for a handful of treats, or even my whole name spelled out on the front desk in Sour Patch Kids. In the midst of these notes and treats came the PSL delivery and by that point I was loving the attention and was honestly down bad (though I hadn’t fully admitted it yet, I’m sure my roommate, and now Maid of Honor, Maquelle could attest to the fact that I pretty much wouldn’t shut up about Reid). These little games went on up to the end of the semester and eventually progressed to coffee hangouts and chatting over text (well… WhatsApp since we were both in denial and wouldn’t ask for the other’s phone number. Ah young love…).

After grad school, Reid had plans to move to St. Louis to work for BKD. I myself had a job as an auditor lined up after school at BKD in Springfield. Things didn’t look great as far as continuing to stay in touch as we hadn’t really told each other how we were feeling up to this point. I knew that if things were meant to be, they would find a way of working out. We said our goodbyes at graduation on May 20, 2022.

Or so we thought…

My parents had planned a graduation party for me later that day, and on a whim, I texted Reid and asked if he wanted to come by. To my surprise, he said yes and came knowing no one except Maquelle who he had happened to meet due to a “coincidental” run-in while Reid and I were getting coffee together one day (yes, me and Maquelle plotted the coincidental part). Reid, making the effort to come to my party, opened the door for us to stay in touch even though school had ended and he was bound for STL in July.

This was quite a crazy time of year as I went from graduating, to taking a CPA exam, to leaving for Italy for two weeks. It didn’t look like there was much time for Reid and I to get together; but we made the effort, and despite the unknown ahead, Reid asked me to be his girlfriend June 12, 2022.

Since then, Reid and I have experienced a year of long-distance dating, working for the same company when he moved back to Springfield, many tax busy seasons (iykyk), fun trips between KC and Springfield, the loss of grandparents, and navigating a job transition for me. We have stood by each other and have continued to grow our friendship, something I am most thankful for. Another of the many things I love about Reid is that he is always down for anything. He is such a good sport and doesn’t overthink the ten thousand reasons why something might not work out. Despite the unknowns we faced, we continued to say yes to each other each step of the way.

Reid and I balance each other out and we have a great time together. Yes, we do nerd out over accounting, and will sometimes have an hour-long chat about why you should or shouldn’t do a cost segregation for your recent real estate purchase. We've been fortunate to spend time with each other's families and look forward to becoming part of them through marriage.

As you learn in Accounting 101, everything will balance out in the end. For Reid and I, this theme has held true and we are excited to continue to find our balance throughout our life together.

Thank you for being a part of our story and for supporting us as we celebrate our commitment to saying “yes” for the rest of our lives!

We can’t wait to celebrate with you all!

Love, Hannah & Reid