One fateful evening in late July 2016, Julia and her friends walked into the apartment down the hall from her own. The gentlemen who lived there were all second year medical students and had invited the first year class over to welcome them to the craziness that is medical training. When she noticed a game of beer pong going on, she grabbed her friend and challenged the winners. That game was the first time she beat Alex in a competition. Later in the evening, a big group headed out to downtown Sarasota's infamous Gator Club. Everyone drank and danced and had a great time. Alex and Julia will never forget their instant magnetism to each other on that dance floor.

That instant magnetism never ceased, and the bond continued to grow. Even though the demands of medical school were enormous, they made time for each other. Short study breaks, post exam afternoons, and the rare day off were all spent getting to know each other and becoming closer and closer. Somewhere along the way, they realized they had fallen in love. They were stuck, and they were happy. Over the years, they have faced seemingly endless challenges. From school to residency, they have both chosen difficult paths. Intermittently being long distance, they took every chance they could to be together. Through every stage, all of the long weekends and Facetime dates, they fell more and more in love.

Marriage was inevitable as Alex and Julia knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. The challenge of living in different states was not going to stand in the way. On a trip to Sanibel, an island close to their hearts, Alex knew he wanted to pop the question. They walked on the beach at sunset, holding hands and just being together. After they watched the sun disappear below the horizon, they headed back down the beach to their dinner reservation. When they were far enough from the sunset gazing crowd, Alex got down on one knee, pulled out a beautiful ring, and asked Julia to marry him. Of course she said "Yes".