Our story began the way good things often do. A few conversations through a mutual friend set up our first date at the end of the Spring semester. I had a presentation that evening, but we still planned to get ice cream afterward. I was worried Max might think I had changed my mind due to my presentation running late and the rain that was supposed to come, but he still picked me up with a smile that put me at ease. We walked into Pav’s Creamery in downtown Cuyahoga Falls and easily fell into a conversation. We spent the next few hours discovering one similarity after another, losing track of time as the rain fell outside. We had agreed to stay until the rain stopped or the place closed for the night, and before we knew it, they were shutting off the lights. The rain was still coming down, so Max took off his jacket and held it over my head as we ran back to the car. There was something special about that night. Between the easy conversations and that thoughtful gesture, I felt like this was the beginning of something real. What began that rainy night was the start of something truly special, and on July 18th, 2023, we officially began our story together.

January 2025 brought our first trip together, one we had been dreaming about since the day we met. It was another rainy day, this time at a cafe in the streets of Florence. As the afternoon passed us by, the rain finally began to fade and the sun started to break through the clouds. I took Anita’s hand and said to follow me, knowing exactly where we needed to go to catch the sunset. We made our way to the highest point in the city, climbing to the steps of a hilltop church. As we made it to the top, we found ourselves alone as shades of purple and orange took over the sky. It felt as if we were looking at a painting and in that moment the world had paused just for us. I have always believed that everything happens for a reason, and that God has a way of guiding us to exactly where we are meant to be. Standing there with Anita, I felt that truth more than ever. We had both come into each other’s lives at exactly the right time, and it was clear to me that we were meant for each other. Everything in our story has led us here, and in that moment, I knelt down and proposed knowing this was the day our forever would truly begin.