CHEERS! It's FINALLY happening

UCLA Freshmen Orientation August 2010, Carpe Noctem. Two young kids fresh out of high school spending 3 days on the UCLA campus before classes start. The second night included an event "Carpe Noctem" aka a midnight scavenger hunt to be done in groups of 10 students. Darlene and Thomas were originally in separate groups, but some students broke off and while wandering around the two groups merged to make just the right number. Several wrong turns around random buildings and awkward small talk with other strangers later, they finally introduced themselves to each other. Running was the main thing they had in common, but somehow they found enough to talk about until 6AM. They sat in a hallway in the dorms eating junk food until the sun came up. 4 years later fresh out of college...they went right back to school. Together they took the plunge and moved to Chicago to get Master's degrees. Thomas graduated from Northwestern with a degree in Biomedical Engineering and started working for Rush University. Darlene forced Thomas to stay in the freezing cold for a couple more years while she worked on her MD. Together our families have grown and we've become an Aunt and Uncle to 8 new babies! Endured a couple marathons. Purchased a fixer upper and survived! Enjoyed many national parks hiking more than enough mountains (with more sure to come!). Finally, 12 years later...Thomas is still trying to put a ring on it! Now we can't wait to celebrate saying "I Do" with you!

Darlene claims her perfect meal is pizza. And grilled cheese. And tacos. And every possible delicious piece of food she can consume in one sitting. She even once said she'd marry the man that gave her all her favorite foods. With that in mind, I took her to the perfect place, Revival Food Hall in downtown Chicago. Here the vendors are affiliates of some of the best restaurants from around the city. After indulging in a meal of pizza, grilled cheese, and tacos, I insisted on a picnic dessert. We went to one of our favorite spots overlooking at the city skyline across the water near our former downtown apartment. After sharing a chocolate eclair, strawberries, and a glass of Champagne I asked Darlene to marry me.