We met in 2014 when we worked together at the Advisory Board Company. We were good friends first, but from early on I knew that Paul was interested in something more. It took some convincing, but after a month or two of him persistently asking, I agreed to go on a date. We spent a day walking, talking, and laughing at Great Falls National Park, and I quickly realized that there was something special, and very different, about how Paul made me feel. Since that day in the spring of 2015, we have traveled, found new jobs, moved three different times, bought a home, adopted a cat, and become each other's family. Paul is my best friend, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life walking, talking, and most importantly, laughing, together.

Paul was a new college graduate from the George Washington University in 2014. He was a bachelor in our nation's capital and living life to the fullest. He had no idea that the woman of his dreams would be a fellow Associate at the Advisory Board Company. Bryarly was an experienced professional at this point (had/has about 2 years on Paul) and she was tasked with showing Paul the ropes at their big city job. Unbeknownst to Bryarly, Paul had already fallen for his senior onboarding professional. He pursued the experienced professional via extended trainings at work (pretending not to totally understand how Salesforce worked), maintaining a steady cache of snacks in his desk drawers (peanut butter trail mix from Walmart was a favorite) and acting out (think playground bully getting her attention (shocker, I know)). The two remained friends but both parties verbally agreed that they would never be anything more. It wasn't until Bryarly's hip surgery and the time they spent not speaking that Paul realized she might just be the one. After asking Bryarly on multiple dates (totally legal according to the Advisory Board's HR Guidelines + the statute of limitations expired 2 years ago), she finally relented in April of 2015. Paul and Bryarly ventured out to Great Falls in Virginia to enjoy the sites and sounds of nature. In a moment of brilliance, Paul asked some strangers to take a picture of the soon-to-be-couple because he had a feeling the day would mark the beginning of a very special partnership. He was totally right.