Ali and Nam met in Ali’s hometown, Amarillo, where Nam was attending pharmacy school – and even though he had been there for nearly 2 years, they didn’t meet until the last 2 months he had left in Amarillo. Ali’s version: We met at a local bar in Amarillo, ‘Mulligan’s’. It was my friend’s birthday and I had convinced her to go grab a drink to celebrate (she was tired it was a Thursday). As soon as we get there, I notice Nam and we both kind of had a radar on each other the whole night. We were the only women in the bar and towards the end of the night, a group of guys had made their way to us. In the middle of that, I heard a voice to my immediate right say ‘Hey’ and it was Nam. I had pointed him out to my friends earlier – and got their attention as soon as he popped up. He talked with and charmed them, which charmed me. He was and is a funny, confident gentleman - even if he was slightly buzzed in that moment. Nam’s version: I also wasn’t supposed to go to Mulligan’s that night but my friends and I made a last-minute decision to just hang out and grab a few drinks at the bar after some bowling. As soon as we walked in, I had noticed Ali and her friends sitting at the bar. They did have the attention of others throughout the evening. After gaining some liquid courage, I went to order a drink at the bar and there just happened to be an opening right next to where Ali was sitting so I went up and introduced myself: “Hey, I’m Nam, what’s your name?” I remember seeing her nudging her friends so I knew I was in! We hit it off and ended up talking, flirting, and laughing the rest of the night until the bar closed. I was nervous and so into our conversation that I “forgot” to ask for her number, which she gently reminded me that I should get before we went our separate ways for the evening. I joke around and say that it was all part of my plan. Within a few days, I had asked her out on our first date, which was walking and talking through the park one evening. I had also brought my dog, Midnight, since I knew she liked dogs and would help reduce some of the date pressure. Midnight, who passed away back in 2021, ended up wrapping around us with his leash like the 101 Dalmations animated movie and brought us closer.