The Dating:
 Our journey began in the familiar halls of Driftmier, the UGA engineering building, where we unknowingly shared the same space day after day. Despite our paths crossing countless times, it wasn't until March of 2022, at an MBA mixer event, that our story truly began to unfold. With the excitement of embarking on a new chapter in our lives, we found ourselves invited to an MBA baseball event that allowed plus ones. Naturally, we both showed up at Foley Field accompanied by our trusty roommates who doubled as wingmen for the evening. Being the baseball fan that I am, I can’t remember who UGA was playing, but what stood out most was Alan's bold move to steal a seat next to me, sparking a conversation that flowed effortlessly into the night. Little did I know, stealing that seat would be the beginning of our journey together. Our spark continued on our first date over coffee at Jittery Joe’s. We had no intentions of staying for four hours, but time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye as we laughed and shared stories. I still have to give props to Alan for sticking around even after I ordered an apple cider and gave what might have been the world's most awkward side hug. For our second date, Alan surprised me with a picnic at the UGA botanical gardens, complete with Cali-n-Tito's tacos, two of my favorite things! The date was a total success. Yet, despite the undeniable chemistry, I suggested that perhaps staying friends would be best. Alan, however, was undeterred by my reservations. After lots of persistence, movie nights, bagel runs, and spontaneous summer adventures around Athens, it wasn't long before I realized that what we had was something special. In August 2023, we made it official, just in time to begin our MBA journey together and have the exact same class schedule. As we navigated school and our new relationship, Alan's unwavering support and infectious enthusiasm made all the things I loved doing before we started dating 100 times more fun. Whether we were dancing in the kitchen, cheering on the Dawgs, or arguing over mini-games in Mario Party, every moment spent together was filled with laughter and love. The Engagement: Alan and I had often discussed the idea of getting married, and we had even gone to try on rings a few times. Despite my repeated insistence that I didn't want to get engaged until after we finished school, Alan's response was always a mysterious "We'll see," which wasn't exactly reassuring. Meanwhile, my friends had ongoing bets about when he would pop the question, but when the moment finally arrived, it caught us all by surprise. Alan happened to be in town for our scuba dry-suit certification, conveniently scheduled the day before our friend's wedding shower. The day prior to our scuba class, we went to get my nails done for the shower, but as fate would have it, six of them chipped during our scuba session. Alan rushed me back to the nail salon, insisting that I would end up picking them all off if they were chipped. Looking back, it should have been a clue, but his reasoning made sense at the time, so I didn't think twice about it. The following day, after a morning run, making lunch together, and getting ready to celebrate with our friends, Alan surprised me by driving us not to the wedding shower in Canton, but to Simpsonwood Park. It was then that I began to realize that this was no ordinary day. As we arrived, I noticed his family had recreated the picnic from our second date, and the pieces started to fall into place. When Alan got down on one knee and proposed, I was overwhelmed with joy and surprise. The best part was being able to celebrate afterward with both of our families, surrounded by love and happiness.