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| Daniel Paul Pierce is originally from Kingsport, Tennessee. He is the son of Edgar and Joyce Pierce, who currently reside in Paris, Arkansas. Daniel graduated from Sullivan North High School in Kingsport before attending Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Before graduating with a B.A. in Linguistics and Spanish in 2005, he lived on the Spanish Hall of McTyeire International House and studied at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain. Daniel graduated from Harvard Law School in 2008. When he is not reading boring law books, studying for the bar, or checking to see whether periods are italicized, Daniel enjoys watching tennis, doing sudoku, and eating foreign food. |
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| Jill Elizabeth Zabel is a native Orlando Floridian. She is the daughter of Don and Mindy Zabel. After graduating from Dr. Phillips High School in 2001, Jill went on to receive B.A. from Vanderbilt University with a major in Cultures and Languages of Europe and the Near East (yes, she made it up) and a minor in World Politics. After completing her undergraduate education in December 2004, Jill moved to the nation's capital to work at the Middle East Institute. She completed her Master's degree in International Security Studies at Georgetown University in December 2007, and is now a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. When she is not practicing a foreign language, reading about terrorism, writing about Colombia, or contemplating how to keep the Middle East from exploding, Jill enjoys traveling, reading, singing, enjoying the outdoors, working out, and sampling ethnic foods. |
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| Daniel and Jill met on the way to a career fair during their freshman year at Vanderbilt. Two of their best friends -- Naved and Jennifer -- were dating (and are now married), so they had already heard about each other. Jill distinctly remembers Jennifer telling her about a nice guy who loved languages and even owned a Turkish dictionary! Jennifer and Naved were greatly disappointed in Daniel (and chided him many times afterwards) for not remembering Jill's name when they first met, though he remembers her name now most of the time. Both Jill and Daniel worked for Vanderbilt's International Teacher's Assistant Program, where they both helped foreign TA's adjust to American university life and improve their English. They also lived in the same international dorm. Eventually they bonded over watching Alias and practicing Arabic every Tuesday and Thursday over breakfast (though Jill has since learned that Daniel doesn't even like breakfast...). The two friends parted ways in December 2004 when Jill headed to D.C. They kept in touch through occasional phone call and IM conversations, but it was not until January 2006 (when the geniuses were 400 miles apart) that they decided to take things in "a not just friends type of direction" (Daniel's now infamous phrase). |
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| Daniel and Jill first kissed on a pier outside of the New England Aquarium in Boston. On the coldest day of the Boston winter just over a year later, Daniel returned to that pier, took a picture of the Boston skyline, and had the picture made into a unique jigsaw puzzle (a hobby that he and Jill both inherited from spending time with their grandmothers). While he was on the phone with Jill for the next week, he worked the top half of the puzzle. After he was finished, he picked out four sky pieces and wrote the words "Will you marry me?" on them. He arrived in D.C. on his spring break with the four pieces and an engagement ring in his suitcase. Daniel told Jill that he had bought the puzzle for them to do at a mall in Boston. They proceeded to work on it for days (it was very hard). Daniel was adamant about finishing it on Saturday. They worked on it all day with nothing but muffins to eat until they could not take it anymore. They decided to take showers and head to an early dinner, but Daniel had something to do first. Alas, Jill was taking forever to get ready. Finally, Daniel says "Jill, come here for a second," and she turned the corner into the living room to find Daniel down on one knee with four puzzle pieces spelling out "Will you marry me?" in his hand. After somewhat recovering from the shock, she said yes, and he presented her with the perfect ring. To see the aftermath that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt some people should not be left alone with a digital camera, see the engagement video here. |
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