Jay and I met on Hinge and had our first date on Thursday, May 13, 2021, at Amelia’s Taqueria — a spot that sparked a passionate debate about the best fast-food Mexican in Boston. That night, I discovered we had a lot in common: a passionate love of food, high school cross country, and a terrible first post-college job. I also learned that Jay was funny, smart, warm, and undeniably handsome. I quickly felt at ease with him, and knew we were kindred spirits when he suggested we grab a pint of ice cream to share after dinner. More than four years later, we’ve traveled together to Florida, Seattle, California, and Colombia; sparred on the jiu-jitsu mat; pet all the dogs we come across; shared countless meals, holidays, celebrations, and vacations with our families; and built a cozy home together in Arlington. And it was in that very home — right in our dining room, after a hilarious series of events involving a card hidden in the freezer and plenty of joyful tears — that we decided to spend our lives together.

We met on a Thursday, May 13th of 2021 to be exact. I was late but Elena kindly waited for me in Brookline, where we would have our first burrito date. We walked into Amelia's, Elena ordered in Spanish and looked back to see the dumbfounded surprised look on my face trying to figure out how she was so fluent, all before walking to the reservoir to enjoy a waterfront view with our dinner (the burritos were OK, would recommend going to Anna's instead). We talked until the sun went down, got a pint of ice cream, and she agreed to go on many more dates with me. We spent the next two years devouring life together, from noodle shops to fried chicken to hot pot before deciding to find a home together here in Arlington. Two weeks before we moved in, I got sick and Elena came over with fruit and pasta to nurse me back to health. It was in that very moment that I knew this was who I wanted to spend my life with. Fast forward another year and a half and a handful of trips, I found a ring small enough to fit on Elena's hand. The ring arrived on the one day I wasn't home to receive it, it rained on the day of the proposal, and the week prior Elena had been venting her concerns that I hadn't proposed yet to people who secretly knew it was coming. All that to say... We had dinner on a Thursday, and she said yes.