Our Story
University of Colorado
Late 2018, I believe it was November. Libby was on the University of Colorado (CU) Soccer team and Nathan was on the Track team. Before diving into this story let me set the container. Growing up just south of Denver, Libby had an affinity for the University and the program was well known to her. Now, being the little prodigy soccer player she was, following in her mother's footsteps who played in a national title soccer match herself, the world was her oyster in regards to where she would want to take her talents. We are all incredibly grateful that she chose the black and gold - committing as a freshman. Nathan on the other hand, wasn't as keen on collegiate athletics and it wasn't until his senior year of high school when he took a visit to CU that he immediately became quite keen. One look at the flat irons on top of the Champions Center overlooking the football field has a tendency to sway the heart - regardless of the out of state tuition price. Thankfully, with a scholarship, it was made possible and Nathan also committed - just three years after Libby did. Enrolling in the fall of 2017, Libby and Nathan probably, without realizing it, ran into each other at a packed football party a time or two but it wasn't until late 2018 that they actually met - so that brings me back to this story. Late fall of their Sophomore year, the CU Athletics Department held an "Athlete's Social" of sorts on top of the Champs Center - a beautiful rooftop on top of the football field used for wining and dining large donors. Libby was there with her teammate, Sarah, and Nathan showed up with his teammate, Aaron. Immediately, Nathan was drawn to what else but a set of bags (or as some non Iowans call it, cornhole), and who else was occupying that set of bags than Libby and Sarah. Nathan and Aaron approached the two cute girls and immediately challenged them to a dual. After playing for a good chunk of time, the new friends shook hands and split ways. And honestly that was that. Nathan and Libby didn't connect or see each other for quite a few months after that, regardless of blissful game of bags they experienced with each other. Fast forward to the fall of 2019. Nathan's roommate and teammate Kellen and Libby's teammate JJ began dating henceforth bringing the Track team and the Soccer team together for the first time. One night when JJ was over at the boys' house eating dinner, Nathan mentioned meeting Libby and Sarah at Champs the year prior and that was enough for JJ. Immediately she had determined that Libby and Nathan were destined for each other and so began the next few months of constant comments and persuading. The boys hosted one of their many parties that fall - this one titled the "Fall Flannel Fest". Yes, the Track team threw the best parties at the University. Ultimately, Nathan invited Libby and there she was - looking all cute in her flannel. Nathan thought to himself, maybe JJ was onto something. Nathan and Libby found themselves finally talking again, months after their first game of bags together (little did they know at the time it would be the first game of hundreds). While feelings developed, they found themselves together much more - going on hikes, eating at the Village (the greatest breakfast known to man), and before you knew it, Libby was an honorary Track member. A few months into their extensive hanging out, JJ had done it. She had succeeded in her endeavor and the two began officially dating.
Dating
NJ / NYC
December of 2019, Nathan stayed in Boulder to train and didn't have anywhere to go for Christmas so luckily for him, he got to meet his new girlfriend's entire family only one week after "officially" dating. Winning them over with a few piano riffs and all the woo he could muster, he truly dove head first into the fire. But looking back, it was beautiful beyond measure. It was obvious where Libby got her altruism and kindness from and immediately her family became his.
Libby's father and Nathan shared an affinity for very good things. Those things included cycling, snowboarding, football, live music, and having 1-12 beers on a patio somewhere. Believe me, there was no need to convince Nathan to spend time with Libby's folks. When COVID came crashing down, Nathan essentially moved into the Geraghty's and had the privilege of spending months of uninterrupted quality time with the three of them - a time that is looked back upon with nothing but fondness and gratitude.
Come graduation in 2021, everything changed. It's important to tell this story because sometimes life gives you irrefutable signs about something. Libby graduated with her undergrad however was staying in Boulder to finish her Masters and prepare for Medical School - a process that required her to spend the next two years in the Boulder/Denver area. Nathan, however, was broke and needed a job. After a serendipitous happenstance, a story that is so integral to Nathan's career but would take another page to write, Nathan was presented a once in a lifetime opportunity to join a company out in the NJ/NYC area. This however, required him to leave immediately and Libby and Nathan with not a lot of time to discuss, quickly realized they would be doing distance for the next two years minimum. And so it was. - Nathan set out in his little Chevy Cobalt to New Jersey and found a place to live in a random town he'd never heard of. This is where it get eerie. Not three weeks into living in this new apartment and town, Hurricane Ida swept through and flooded Nathan's car and apartment. Finding himself without a car and needing a new place to live, Nathan frantically started looking all over the place for a new home. With luck, he found a lovely apartment in Edgewater, NJ. What he didn't know at the time is that he had found a place to live that was 20 steps from a bus stop and directly across the river from Columbia Medical School. In fact, you can just about see the school from his newfound front porch. A year goes by and Libby begins the application process for Medical School - heavily weighting schools on the east cost, specifically in New York City. To nobody's surprise, Libby was accepted to the third best Medical School in the country which happened to be two miles from Nathan's front door with a bus that drops you off just about in front of the school. It's hard to understand how Nathan survived two years without Libby's cooking but alas, in 2023, the two were reunited and the Medical School journey had commenced. As Libby once became an honorary Track team member, Nathan quickly became an honorary medical student as the two were blessed beyond their wildest dreams with the most incredible people who shared a love for not only saving lives but also cycling, climbing, skiing, music and all the things Libby and Nathan love so deeply.
As this chapter of their lives is coming to a close, with an MD on the horizon, a marriage incoming, and a potential move to another state - it's hard to not reflect back on the past seven years and experience immense gratitude. The friendships they've created, the places they've lived, the experiences they've shared together. They've traveled the world together, jumped out of airplanes together (if Libby can skydive, anybody can), climbed mountains, rode bikes across Iowa, danced and sang with their favorite bands, and ultimately supported each other for the last seven years. There's a quote that the two admire together. It says “there is nothing more beautiful than being a witness to someone’s life. To know them inside and out and be with them through everything, share the same memories. Memories are everything. I want that.” The two have been privileged to be witness to each other's lives - the successes, the grief, the joy and every "mundane" moment in between. Something that means a great deal to the both of them. If you've made it this far, you are a part of this journey and Nathan and Libby can't thank you enough for the role you've played. People are the most important piece in life and the love shared between people is the ultimate gift - so thank you for that gift. The two look forward to the way in which their story is molded in their coming chapters as they tackle married life, a new home, the adventures of Dr. Lib and everything else in between.
Looking Forward
Exhibit A - Friends
Above all else, Libby and Nathan cherish spending time with their friends. Privileged with groups of friends from different states, schools, teams, and professions - being with their people is where the two feel most at home.
When the two can find any free time together, which between medical school and Jet Aviation, is very hard to come by, they're fervent about seeing the world together. Together, they've been to Costa Rica, Colombia, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Germany, and Belgium with a whole big world left to see.
