Boxer Love Story: PJ Griess '09 and Lea (Schaffer) Griess '11

PJ Griess '09 and Lea (Schaffer) Griess '11  met officially in the spring of 2008 at a Boxer Ambassador retreat. PJ was a senior and dating someone else, Lea was a freshman who had given up on boys, and was happily planning her life as a cat lady.

They officially started spending time together in the fall of 2008, when they became Resident Assistants (RAs) in Burlingham Hall. PJ began a fifth year to finish his computer science program, which was one of his hardest decisions, but also his best, because that's the year he met Lea. Over the fall semester they spent a lot of time together. They watched the Olympics, the Perseid Meteor Shower in August during RA training, had many movie nights and spent time together during RA duty nights during the school year.

Lea visited PJ during winter break and they watched a movie and played Little Big Planet as their first unofficial date before the winter term began.

The night before Winter III started they made breakfast plans the next morning, and PJ told Lea he liked her. Since she had given up on boys, she was caught off guard, and did not know what to do. She awkwardly said "thanks." He responded with a "see you in the morning," and bade her goodnight.

Since Lea was unsure how she felt she decided to play it safe and let PJ know that she just wanted to be friends at breakfast the next morning.

To Lea's surprise, over winter III she and PJ grew even closer. Looking back now, they both know they were dating before they were dating. Lea, feeling bad about turning PJ down, promised to find him a girl for Valentine's Day. He woke up to a life size cardboard cutout of Jasmine from "Aladdin," and some skittles, his favorite.

Throughout the winter months Lea's feelings for PJ continued to grow. After some wise advice from her dad ("Lea, if you sit on the sidelines of your life, you might miss it"), she told PJ she liked him (quite awkwardly she admits), and PJ said he felt the same way, but would leave the decision whether to date or not up to her (what a gentleman!).

She asked him out, and 6 years later (February 2015), they are happily married, and living in Beaverton with their fur-babies, Teemo the corgi, Jax the lab and Georgie the cat.

Read more Boxer Love Stories at pacificu.edu/LoveStory.