I distinctly remember the first time I met Alex. I was sitting right in front of him during lecture in the first week of med school. I turned around and introduced myself and didn't realize I was meeting the love of my life. Don't listen to anything Alex tells you; this is how we first met! A few days later, we met again in the student lounge. We found out we were placed in the same group for one of our classes. Our friendship was the most natural thing in the world. He somehow convinced me to play flag football (which I probably only did because I liked him). We stayed after school to study but ended up talking and playing way too much foosball. As I got to know him more and more, I couldn’t help but imagine a future with him. We started dating that winter. Early in our relationship, I remember telling Alex that I didn’t think I’d ever be completely sure about marrying someone. I couldn’t imagine feeling absolutely no doubt about such a serious decision. It’s hilarious to look back and realize how utterly wrong I was. When we first started dating, I mentioned that one of my dreams was to build a beautiful table from scratch. On my birthday last year, Alex surprised me by taking me to Home Depot to get supplies to do just that. As I was sobbing in the middle of Home Depot, I realized I was sure. I was sure I wanted to marry this man who loves me enough to make my crazy dreams come true. In the weeks leading up to the proposal, I knew it was coming but I didn’t know when. Alex was so sneaky about it. On 11/9/18, he took me to Hermann Park for a “walk.” I don’t think it actually hit me that he was proposing until he started telling me all the reasons why he loves me. After I said the best yes of my life, I had another surprise coming. He told me he planned dinner for the two of us at his apartment. I walked into a room full of our friends and we had an amazing engagement party to celebrate! I’m so excited to marry Alex and start the rest of our lives together!

We met in the student lounge. Amanda will tell you that we met in class, but she made that up so she can pretend to be mad and say that I don’t remember meeting her for the first time. But there’s no way I’d forget her. I even remember exactly what she was wearing: a pink tank top, jeans, and black sneakers. She lit up the room. We clicked so quickly that I was head-over-heels before I knew it. I made up excuses to hang out with her, like staying after school to “study” and going to anatomy buddies to “learn.” I don’t think I’ve ever studied with less efficiency, and I still remember asking for her anatomy notes just to get her number. Instead, we talked and laughed and played way too much foosball. I fell in love. Eventually, I asked her on a date. I knew she was the one very early on. In fact, I knew on my birthday. Amanda was determined to get me the perfect present. She even called her mom to ask for help. To mess with her, I pretended like I knew what she was getting me. She was unbelievably paranoid. When my birthday arrived, she brought my present over from her apartment. Obviously I was curious, so I kept sneaking looks as we walked down this long hallway. I had no idea what it was, but I kept pretending I knew. She got more and more paranoid, so she panicked. Keep in mind, it’s 8pm and my neighbors are all home. She didn’t care. She literally started screaming down the hallway: “DON’T LOOK AT IT! DON’T EVEN BREATHE NEAR IT!” I nearly died laughing. It was a great present. The next few months were a blur of volleyball, zoo trips, and sheer joy. In the fall, we flew to Las Vegas so I could ask her parents for permission to marry her. I coordinated with her sister and friends to throw a surprise engagement party after I proposed, and we all basically lied to Amanda for months. I couldn't have done it without them. I proposed on 11.9.2018, exactly a year from the day I first told her I liked her. Luckily, she said yes. And in June, we'll say "I do."