Heidi Peterson met her fiance while gearing up to guide a group of incoming college freshmen on a backpacking trip. 

While taking the required class for student guides, she thought she was randomly paired with Tom Troxel, a fellow undergraduate at Stanford University. 

“The teacher was pairing up students randomly,” Troxel said. “But I looked across the room and saw a beautiful girl, so I naturally … went to stand next to her, so I was paired up with her.”

The pair was assigned to talk about campfire safety.

“Not the most riveting conversation,” Peterson said. 

Troxel’s procrastination habit did not do him any favors, as he waited until the day before his fraternity event to ask Peterson out for the first time. Peterson turned him down because she had plans and thought she was his “fifth ask.” 

Peterson and Troxel went on a few dates throughout their time as undergraduates, but they were never officially together. A couple years after Peterson’s graduation, she spotted Troxel across the field at an alumni event. 

“She walked right up and asked me out,” Troxel said. “And we’ve been together ever since.”

In 2019, Troxel and Peterson moved to Boston independently; Peterson was attending grad school and Troxel started a new job. It was “very convenient because we had only started dating about a year beforehand,” Peterson said.

In Boston, the couple loves to go to Barcelona Wine Bar and hike locally. They enjoy any kind of “outdoor activity paired with a nice meal,” Peterson said. 

“One of my favorite things about [Troxel] is that he is this balance between super self-disciplined and hard working, but can also be super silly and really fun to be around,” Peterson said.

“Wherever [Peterson] sees a problem, she figures out a solution,” Troxel said. “I just love that about her.”

Troxel proposed in April 2023 at Middlesex Fells, catching Peterson off guard in joggers and a sweatshirt. “Not my most fashionable moment,” Peterson said. “But he knew I wanted it to be a surprise, so it was perfect.” 

Troxel and Peterson are getting married in May.