May 30th, 2027

My first meeting with the love of my life took place in the summer of 2022. Alondra and I met in Brazil during a three-week language immersion trip. Even though we studied the same things, our paths had never crossed. As we slowly picked up Portuguese, we quickly caught one another’s attention, teasing each other playfully like pássaros apaixonados (love birds). Within just a few weeks, we knew this connection was something special, something destined to grow into an everlasting love. If Brazil brought us together, it was the Academy that truly melded us. The semester after our trip, we became inseparable, our class schedules nearly identical and our time apart growing shorter by the day. Though she lived across the T-zo in Squadron 19 and I was in Squadron 28, we spent nearly every waking moment studying, sharing meals, and working out together, with the occasional “after-hours visit.” Our conversations were both serious and silly, simple and complex, but above all, they were deeply comforting in such an intense and hectic environment. We learned each other’s greatest insecurities and strongest qualities, promising to lift one another up and always bring out the best in each other. As our love grew, so did the merging of our worlds and cultures. I traveled to San Antonio to meet her mother, her sister, and their three beloved perritos (Roxy, Jum-bo, and Milo). Soon after, she visited my home state of North Carolina to meet those closest to me. She experienced her first Southern Thanksgiving, and I welcomed the New Year in her home state of New Jersey, celebrating with grapes and salsa dancing. During our junior year, we learned we would return to Brazil together for a semester exchange. Believe it or not, less than a year after we met, I already knew she was the one. With my mom and dad by my side, I chose an engagement ring and packed my bags for yet another life-changing journey. While our time in Brazil was unforgettable, it was also marked by loss. Four months into the exchange, I returned home to say a final goodbye to my mother. From the moment I learned of her passing to the moment I returned to Brazil, Alondra was there as my shoulder to cry on. For that, I cannot thank her enough. Knowing exactly what my mother would have wanted, I proposed two weeks later in Brasília, Brazil—the city where our story began. Through every challenge and triumph, our love has only grown stronger. Together, we graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and went on to complete our Master’s degrees at Columbia University in New York City. During our year and a half in NYC, we deepened our bond and finally decided it was time to make her a Roberson. On September 19, 2025, in Union City, New Jersey, surrounded by a few of our loved ones, we officially tied the knot. But, we couldn’t imagine celebrating without all the friends and family we love so dearly. We would be honored to celebrate our love with you and can’t wait to gather at the Merrimon-Wynne House in Raleigh, North Carolina. Tudo com amor,
 Wendell