Lorena's Memory: It was my first day of college at UIC, early morning, GEOG discussion class. I found a seat dead-center of the classroom. I watched as my classmates slowly started to trickle in. Our T.A. eventually made her way to the front of the room, introduced herself, and announced that we would all be participating in an ice breaker activity. "The Name Game" she said, "the name game involves the first student, on the top row, announcing his or her full name. Then the student repeats the first person's name and adds his or her own, the third student says the names of the first and second person and adds his or her own, and so on around the class." My first instinct was to seek out the last student sitting on the last swivel chair. A boy swiftly entered the room right then and there. "Sorry I'm late" he announced. He sat in the last row, on the last swivel chair. "Jeez, I'd hate to be that guy" I remembered thinking. The name game began, and we made our way around the room announcing one another's names as best as we could. When the game reached its final swivel chair, the boy sheepishly looked around at his peers and said "Sorry guys, I didn't catch any of that. My name is Cesar." When GEOG ended, I made my way over to my next class. Upon sitting down, I scouted the room and caught glimpse of that one boy who had sat on the last row, last swivel chair. He was in my class. And the next one that day. And that week. And that semester. We coincidentally took all but one class together that semester. Maybe it was the comfort of a familiar face, maybe it was fate, but he asked me for my email to help him out with his homework. I gave him my number. He asked me on a date to the UIC Bowling Alley. The rest is history. ☺

On our 6 year anniversary, Cesar and I kicked off our day with breakfast at La Catedral. We then made our way over to Brookfield Zoo, an iconic location where we had spent one of our first dates. We visited just about every animal exhibit, took a ton of photographs, and soaked in the beautiful weather. However, we had some reservations to catch after our zoo date, so we started making our way to the exit. This was the moment. Cesar, very nonchalantly, tells me his family is making their way over to the zoo to take a group photograph with us in front of the Brookfield Zoo sign (just like we had done years ago, on one of our first dates as a couple). I didn't think much of it; I swiftly started helping him scout his family. I caught sight of his sisters walking beside a woman that looks remarkably similar to my mom. I remember turning to Cesar and saying, "Hey, I see your sisters, and there's a lady that looks just like my m--" In a blink and a lifetime, he held my hands, got down on one knee and made history. I melted into him. I said yes. I looked around. An uproar of cheers surrounded us, and that's when I noticed. All our loved ones stood in a single file line, witnessing our love's milestone in real time. At the end of the line, just as I thought I had glimpsed, was my mami. The rest is a blur encapsulated in photographs that we'll treasure forever. We can't wait to share and celebrate our love with you all -- nos vemos en Agosto!