We met in 2016 when Abby started as a rotation student in the brain cancer research lab Ryan managed at UNC Chapel Hill. We became friends quickly and remained that way for many years. Abby moved into Ryan's house in 2022 right after a major knee injury from rock climbing. Ryan immediately demonstrated his husband potential by going above and beyond to aid her recovery after two surgeries. We remained just friends for another year, but Abby finally succeeded in bullying Ryan into a first date in July 2023. We knew it was risky - age gap, working together, landlord/tenant, etc. We persevered despite the presence of several factors that might have meant we shouldn't have, and it turned out to be probably the best thing either of us ever did. We fell in love over the next few months and never looked back. Ryan proposed a few days before Christmas 2024 while Abby was sitting on the living room floor, unshowered and in pajamas, because she had a stomach virus. According to Ryan, he just couldn't wait any longer. Thankfully, Abby has never been one who requires much fanfare, and the "just couldn't wait" line along with some other nice stuff Ryan said made her cry, so all was well. (Incidentally, Ryan came down with the same virus ~3 days later. Strange.) We're so excited to get married and can't wait to celebrate with all of you. See you soon!