It was a perfect Florida night in January, about 70 degrees and winter term had just ended. I was on campus for Spring Training and Ana was just getting back from studying abroad in Malawi. We didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the day our lives would change forever. Winter Term was ending, and everyone was starting to arrive for Spring semester so we decided we would throw a party to celebrate. The beginning of the night was typical, just enjoying some drinks in the baseball dorm room trying to decide what beach bar we wanted to go to that night. It was shaping up to be another standard Saturday at Eckerd, but then Ana walked in the door. When we first met, I was standing with my back on the wall right next to the entrance of the room. Ana walked in and it felt like we had known each other forever. We started small talk until I scared her away by telling her I was on the baseball team (at the time, this was not something to be particularly proud of, but I didn’t know that yet). Ana was just getting back from Malawi and, of course, her best friend Kaleigh made a note to let everyone know (as loud as she could) that this was now a birthday celebration for Ana. The entire night was almost like a dream, everything around us was foggy except for then we were looking at each other. There was this energy, this positive vibe that just sparked this happiness inside us and we didn’t want it to go away. I found myself constantly looking for her. There was this force that just drew me toward her and the first time I saw that smile she became an obsession. From the first time I laid eyes on her I knew you were a gift from God. It didn’t take long to realize how genuine, caring, beautiful and loving she was. I’ll never forget that day in the Eckerd dorm rooms (NU 7 to be specific) and we are both incredibly thankful we get to share this journey through life together.

5 years from the day we met was the day we got engaged – January 25th, 2019. It was the day after Ana’s 29th birthday and we needed to celebrate. The 24th was a Thursday so we made plans to go out to dinner the 25th so we could enjoy a few drinks and not worry about having to get up for work the next day. Before dinner there was a scavenger hunt so Ana could find and open her gifts before we went to dinner. As most of you know, we’re both kids at heart so we try and make the gift giving process a fun one – this was no different (except the last gift was a ring). Ana was so consumed with the scavenger hunt she found the first clue and completely overlooked the dozen roses that were literally laying right on top. The second gift was her favorite chocolate and stuck to the wrapper was the third clue. That clue leads her to a bottle of wine with another clue that lead to the car. We got in the car and Ana found another clue and a handwritten letter. She wasn’t allowed to open the letter at the time, but the clue lead her to a bridge that connected her neighborhood to Lennox mall. This bridge is a perfect place the take a picture because of the Buckhead skyline in the background. At this point, the directions in the scavenger hunt were to take a picture. We both looked amazing and we wanted to capture a special moment. After a few practice photos, I gave a nod to Alicia to let her know the proposal was coming. As my knees shook, I started to get down on one knee. A smile from ear to ear consumed by face and I asked Ana to be my wife. Overtaken by the shock, she covered her face with her hands. She blurted out the one word I was waiting for (Yes!) and we were officially engaged.