Luke was a one-of-a-kind guy sitting just rows in front of me in class. He was that student who didn't study much and would always score the highest on those difficult exams (secretly I was very jealous)! We never really talked much . . . we only knew of each other as being classmates, sitting just a couple rows away from each other. I never thought of him as person I might date - but like we always hear, "you will find love with the person you least expect, at the most unexpected time." We had a mutual friend at school (who will be one of my bridesmaids!) and we all got to talking one afternoon after class in the parking lot. It was one of the first times that Luke and I actually spoke face to face, and I started to see the decent human being that he was (and is). Our mutual friend soon became a matchmaker as she could see the chemistry that was forming between us. She encouraged Luke to take me on a date, and for me to accept. Luckily, we both took her advice and hit it off from the very beginning . . .

We had been texting for what seemed like weeks, and our texting conversations were getting to be paragraphs long. We had so much to talk about that we kept saying, "it's a long story, I'll have to tell you in person." It seems rather silly now, but I would get so excited when I saw my phone light up with a text from him (honestly, I do still get excited about this). The very first thing we discovered that we had in common is our love for the TV show The Office. We would share some of our favorite quotes and scenes from the show, and decided that we had to watch it together very soon. During this time we were also seeing each other at school, being sure to talk on our class breaks and sit with each other in the cafeteria. While I was home one night watching The Office, I decided to take initiative because I was getting impatient that we had not been on a date yet. Luke insisted that we was just waiting for the "right time to ask me," but he now knows that when I want something to happen, I won't wait very long ;) I texted him asking to meet halfway between Scottsdale and Chandler to walk around an outdoor mall and maybe get some food. He agreed to meet me! I stood by a planter right in front of the Harkins movie theatre, my heart pounding, waiting for him to see me. Yay! There he was walking up to me with a big smile on his face!! We went in for a hug and this is the first time I realized just how tall he was, (and I wasn't complaining). We decided to get some Frozen Yogurt for dessert. We got our yogurt and sat outside at a table near one of those splash pads for kids. We sat there for what I remember being about 2 1/2 - 3 hours of non-stop talking. We talked about everything from serious topics, to lighthearted, to politics, school, our goals and plans for the future, and our families. All I could remember thinking as he walked me to my car was, "This has potential to turn into something amazing, and I really hope it does."

October 2017: Luke and Alyssa spark an interest in one another November 2017: Their first date, Froyo! November 2017: Luke and Alyssa celebrate her 21st birthday December 2017: Luke asks Alyssa to be his girlfriend May 2018: They both graduated nursing school December 2018: One Year Anniversary May 2019: They go on their first vacation abroad to Iceland, and Luke PROPOSES! December 2019: 2 Year Anniversary April 2020: Intense Wedding Planning and marriage preparation begins! August 2020: Second Vacation (to Greece) was cancelled thanks to Covid. They went to Lake Tahoe instead! November 2020: Alyssa and Luke celebrate their 24th and 26th birthdays December 2020: Alyssa and Luke celebrate their 3-Year anniversary! February 2021: Alyssa and Luke say YES to forever and get married!