We first met at Goucher College when we lived on the same hallway, but didn't get a chance to really get to know each other until we exchanged numbers going into summer break. We spent that summer talking almost every day, bonding over how much we care about our family and friends, sharing our taste in music, and talking about all the places we had traveled to. Getting to know each other first as friends made connecting romantically so simple when we finally saw each other again that fall. Over our first year together, we got to know each other more by meeting our families, sharing where we grew up, and going on trips together. We spent time in Miami, New York, Cape Cod, and eventually Italy that year, trying new foods and spending as much time as we could outdoors. The more time we spent together, the clearer it became that we would be building our futures as one.

We had traveled to Miami to celebrated Christmas and the New Year with my family. Almost every time we went home, I would drag Joe to see my favorite museum- Vizcaya. When I was little, I had dreamed of getting married there in the gardens at night, but I eventually realized that wouldn't be a possibility. We had planned to go to Vizcaya again that day, along with my siblings. Under the guise of taking pictures there, Sarah got me to put on a dress and some makeup before heading out the door. When we got there, we headed straight to the gazebo in the back of the property that overlooks Biscayne Bay. Sarah started arranging us in the middle of the gazebo to take a picture. Suddenly, Joe is looking at me instead of the camera with a mischievous, nervous smile and a twinkle in his eyes, and then he gets down on his knee and asks me to spend the rest of our lives together. After I said yes, we hear a shriek in the distance, and suddenly our friends and family have shown up to surprise me. First our parents appear, then our best friends, who have flown down from their respective homes to be there for the occasion. Joe had arranged a photographer to capture the moment, and a few moments afterwards in the gardens. We spent the afternoon with our friends, and my parents had arranged a celebratory dinner at the Biltmore Hotel that night. Joe did a wonderful job surprising me with the perfect moment for us. It was such a beautiful day, and so special to have many of our favorite people with us.