"He who finds a wife has found happiness. And has won the favor of Hashem." כב מָצָא אִשָּׁה מָצָא טוֹב וַיָּפֶק רָצוֹן מֵיְהֹוָה׃

I was born and raised in Miami, Florida. I spent 25 years in my hometown before I realized it was time to thrive. I chose to change careers and take a leap of faith with Teach For America. I received my Jacksonville teaching assignment with butterflies in my stomach. That's where my "love story" begins. Prior to December 4th, 2016, I had never seen or attended a Jacksonville Jaguars football game. On that Jags afternoon football game, I met the man of my dreams. My path crossed Brian Dughi. I met Brian in the "Bud Zone" among mutual friends. Brian and I did not watch the rest of the game- for real. We spent our time together in deep conversation about our faith, family and life. After the game, our chatting and laughter continued throughout the city. That Sunday was the start of our journey. The rest is history!

Just like any other Sunday during football season, I had my sights set on watching the Jacksonville Jaguars play (to an inevitable defeat). On December 4th, 2016, a group of friends went to the game and ultimately stopped at the Bud Zone inside of the stadium to start off with a drink (or two). Before I had the chance to get to my seat, I was introduced to Mia by mutual friends and we instantly hit it off. Three very short hours later, I realized the game was over, I hadn’t even watched a single play, and I didn’t even know what the score was (we lost). However, I knew that I wanted to keep hanging out with this beautiful woman. I was lucky to be able to spend the rest of the day with her at Intuition (a local bar by the stadium) and Top Golf before calling it a night. That next Friday, we went on our first date together for sushi- and ever since, she has been the greatest side kick I could have ever hoped to have. Every day together feels just as special as our first date. I am incredibly blessed that on November 21st, I get to call Mia my wife!