Walter: I had just started work for about 6 months and was invited to a close friend’s wedding. Their reception consisted of an impressive brunch spread, and I was seated between a family I didn’t know to my left and a young lady who’s name I barely knew to my right. Being a consultant, I thought, “I guess I might as well meet some new people 🤷‍♂️.” The family seemed to be having their own conversation and it was difficult to break in, so I figured I’d make a new friend and try talking to the young lady to my right with no idea that we were intentionally seated together by the bride and groom and no thought that she would eventually be my bride. We had a nice conversation about our education and occupations, and I found out that she was pursuing an OTD. Being familiar with the healthcare industry, I knew the difference between a PT and an OT, to which she was quite surprised and proceeded to explain how she felt her doctorate was not as significant as others (e.g., the PhD that I had earned). I thought to myself, “She’s quite knowledgeable, thoughtful, and humble. We would make good friends!” Iffers: “I sat next to you at the reception?!” 🤦‍♀️

Walter: After beginning a transition to NJ, a close friend ask if I would consider getting to know Jennifer better. I remembered my conversation with her and thought that she was a nice, hard working, reliable person that I could get along with, but also felt that there was already too much uncertainty in my life to start a relationship, so I responded that I would continue to pray. Iffers: As college, a gap semester, grad school, and a residency came and went, I stayed in Los Angeles, seeing my friends and companions come and go. Throughout these transitional times, I would pray for a companion, a sister who would love God in the same way I did, and encourage me in my spiritual walk. During one of my times with the Lord, I felt a nudge, "Might you be praying for a lifelong companion?" At the time, I brushed the thought aside, choosing to focus on my studies, but time and time again, the gentle nudge came back...

Walter: After a 4th of July vacation week at home in Cerritos, CA, I was flying a red-eye back to NJ. I remember waking up in the middle of the flight with the distinct feeling, "What am I waiting for? I've got a stable job, I'm not getting any younger, and if I keep waiting, there might not be anyone left for me!" It may sound ridiculous to many, but I guess in my case, I simply just woke up.

Walter: I had reached out to my friend and shared my realization (about time!), and I asked if he'd check to see what Iffers's situation was and whether she was open to get to know me better. Iffers: Our mutual friend reached out to me one Sunday afternoon and asked if I was open to talking to Walter. My first reaction was "Huh?!" I initially agreed to talking to him in principle, because even if it was a "No," he deserved to hear it from me. ...one doctoral defense and two days later... We had our first conversation as I sat in the parking lot at work, with Walter 2500 miles away. Although it wasn't an unpleasant conversation, I realized that I was wearing my "OT hat" and treating Walter like another of my patients. Walter: I was excited to get to know Iffers better. She seemed to be extremely interested in me (probably a good sign) and it seemed like a good conversation. She eventually needed to get going, so we ended with some short prayers, consecrating our time and the beginnings of this relationship to our Lord (I greatly appreciated this). I thought, "I could see myself being interested."

Walter: I'll have to admit that starting a relationship a continent apart is probably not ideal, but from the initial conversation onward, 24 hours never elapsed without some form of communication. Sometimes it was a simple text or a substantial phone conversation, others would be emails from foreign countries (Prague, Croatia, Guatemala, Southeast Asia), but the most memorable was probably a phone call from London Heathrow to Dallas Fort Worth just before I crossed the Atlantic Ocean and Iffers crossed the Gulf of Mexico. We truly took our long-distance relationship to new extremes...

Iffers: In the few weeks leading up to our first date, I was growing more hesitant about Walter; however, I told myself that again, in principle, I should give it a chance. I was hoping it would help clarify (or confirm) my feelings. Walter: After about 3 months of long-distance communication. I finally had an opportunity to visit LA, and we had our first in-person date (Iffers is really patient). We explored the Last Bookstore (Iffers loves books! It's also where I gave her a small souvenir from my trip to Prague), had a lovely brunch at Blue Jam Café, walked over to the Deloitte building, drove to get Jeni's Ice Cream (including $125 worth of ice cream tokens), and an excursion over to Monterey Park for a massive dinner at Kang Kang Food Court. Probably a bit much for a first date, but maybe I was just trying to make up for 3 months worth... Iffers: Needless to say, I had a better time than expected and was happy to continue talking to Walter.

With periodic visits to LA, we were gradually learning what it meant to be with one another in-person. As our time together grew so did our affection, but there was still the lingering questions of “What’s the next step? When do you know? What does it really mean to get married?”

Iffers: One Monday morning, I was "sharing" an Uber ride with Walter on his way to work. We had spent the past 90 minutes talking, praying, and keeping one another company, when Walter abruptly dismissed himself, having to take a phone call with his senior manager. Ten minutes later, Walter called me back with a simple question, "What are you doing tonight? Do you want to pick me up from the airport?" (Of course!) Walter: After arriving in LA, we had a late-night meal at Class 302, and I was home before midnight to surprise my mom for her birthday with flowers in hand (carefully selected and arranged by Iffers). While no one would ever wish for a global pandemic, if there were any silver lining, it would be that Walter was now free to work from any physical location (yay!). That being the case, we fully took advantage of the situation and consistently saw one another daily. During this time, it afforded us the unique opportunity to become a part of our ordinary lives and build an understanding of how we might envision our future lives together.

Walter: By about late August, I knew where I wanted this relationship to go, so I started looking for a suitable ring to match Iffers' personality and practicality. By late September, there was a feeling that a conversation with her father would be appropriate. On Sept 27th, I had a brief conversation with him to request his blessing and advice for the future. Iffers: Around this time, I started thinking and asking Walter about what it meant to each of us to be "ready," and what the next steps might be. I had grown to realize that I cared a lot about Walter, and the thought of being apart from each other scared me a little. Walter: I knew that once I spoke with her father it started a clock ticking (she even told me so), and I also knew that she doesn't do well with the anxiety of an impending surprise (like rolling on the floor level not well). We had planned a day-trip, and I thought, "It probably doesn't get more ideal than this, and everything is prepared, so there's no good reason to wait." On the morning of, I placed the ring in the glove compartment of my car and just had to convince Iffers that I should drive (shouldn't be too hard, right?). Iffers: As we were driving, I had thoughts of, "So, uh... is something going to happen today? Is there a ring in his pocket? No. Act normal. Walter knows you hate surprises. Just enjoy the day." Walter: As Iffers was packing away the picnic, I went to retrieve the box from the glove compartment and asked her to sit back down with me. Iffers: Walter told me, "I got something for you," handed me a box, and immediately took it back and started unwrapping it. Panic. Don't panic. What's happening? Walter: I knew she hated surprises, so I ripped the wrapper off for her, and handed the box back to her. Iffers: What he handed me was a beautiful inlayed wooden puzzle box, but with no apparent lid. I was intrigued. distracted from my anxiety of what was inside. Walter: We all know what happens next...