We're getting married!

We met in graduate school at Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. Both of us were hired on as Academic Coaches—Aaron on his second year and Aricelda on her first. One of their first interactions was when Aaron asked Aricelda the age-old question: Which name do you prefer to go by? Aricelda, in her usual fashion, told him that it didn't matter; Ari or Aricelda worked just fine. Aaron, to Aricelda's surprise, said he thought she had a pretty name and would call her by it, thus kick-starting her use of her full name in the workplace. Their friendship blossomed over their first year of Coaching and grad school together, soon evolving into more...

While the first spark of interest was ignited sometime in October 2019, Aaron didn't ask Aricelda out until after the new year (for various reasons). Breaking his "no dating coworkers" rule for her, the two went to see Cats in theaters. After an excruciating two hour film, Aaron finally had the courage to ask her out. To which, Aricelda "respectfully declined." While this wasn't the answer that Aaron wanted to hear, he knew that Aricelda was a person that he wanted to have in his life, even just as a friend.

Aaron and Aricelda were in El Paso, TX to visit Aaron's family. Considering the trip was usually made up of visiting family and driving, they usually didn't have much time to themselves while there. This time, they planned to leave a day earlier than usual so they could spend some time together visiting Aaron's favorite places and exploring the town. Aaron had the whole thing planned out but--of course--Aricelda threw a wrench in those plans by agreeing to going to dinner with his family. Needless to say, Aaron had to pivot, and quickly. The soon-to-be-engaged couple (despite Aricelda's unknowing attempts at preventing it) were able to enjoy a nice lunch together and spent some time driving around the city. Aaron took Aricelda to see his schools, where he'd played as a child, hung out with friends, and a few other places that were of significance to him. After their small tour, they drove up into the mountains that overlooked both El Paso and Juarez, Mexico. There, Aaron got out of the car to retrieve the ring. Aricelda--once again--ruined the plan by insisting on seeing what he could possibly need from the trunk. After some laughs about her stubbornness, Aaron got down on one knee and asked Aricelda to marry him stating, "I wanted to show you my past because you are my future." Aricelda said yes, and now here you are, reading this story and preparing for our wedding. We are so excited to have you celebrate with us, and can't wait to see you!