We're getting married!

December 2015 Baton Rouge, Louisiana Five years ago I met Elizabeth in MCAT prep class. I sat one row in front of her and was nervous every day because the prettiest girl I had ever seen was always looking at the back of my head. We made friends, and I did my best to sit next to her every day in physics class the following semester (she was the only reason I went to the lectures). We grew to be close friends and confidants; I trusted her with everything. Our lives separated us for a while, then brought us back together at the perfect time. We reconnected the summer before medical school, talked on the phone constantly, and spent our time together whenever possible. The first two years of medical school are often said to be the most trying times of a physician's life, but we floated through with each other's support. After our first year, we moved in together knowing we could overcome any challenge that might present itself. Ever since, we have been thriving in our 9th floor apartment overlooking New Orleans - spending our days working, studying, and hanging out with our two feline roomies Vera and Simon. I love this woman with all my heart, and I am truly honored she accepted my engagement proposal. Life is effortless, fun, and exciting when I live it with you Elizabeth.

When I laid eyes on David for the first time, I initially thought he was much too handsome to also be smart. I sat down behind him in our winter MCAT prep course and tried not to focus on the back of his gorgeous head. However, over the next few weeks, by peaking over his shoulders, I noticed that his scores were consistently higher than mine. The following semester, we sat together along with the other MCAT course members in Physics class. Over time, the others dwindled away, until just David and I remained. We competed to answer questions, laughed at each other’s jokes, and shared personal stories. I started wearing makeup to class, and David stopped skipping. Ultimately, I chose to maintain my serious relationship throughout college. David’s kindness, support, and respect never faltered. He dated other people and we remained friends from a distance. Although, short encounters in grocery store parking lots and university hallways always left me with a sense of elation and confusion. David graduated early the following winter and moved to Spain during my final semester. When we both chose to attend the same medical school, I knew it was time to give our relationship a genuine chance, and I had a feeling that David had been waiting for me all along. We both committed to each other in the fall of 2017, and never looked back.

On a cool Saturday night in April, I sat next to Elizabeth on the balcony of the Saenger Theatre in Downtown New Orleans and watched as Cinderella spun along the stage in her beautiful, shining gown. Suddenly, I was overcome with feelings of affection, admiration, and pride for the princess sitting beside me. I thought of all the plays we had seen here before, of the hundreds of hours we had spent together in the hospital just a few blocks away, and of how I felt completely at ease - this is the forever I wanted. We had a beach trip planned for the following weekend in Sandestin. I called our jeweler the Monday before and frantically put together a plan to have the ring I had picked out months earlier be shipped in time for arrival at the beach house. I met with my two close friends, George and Trey, to assure their approval, and I asked Elizabeth's father for his permission. That Saturday, as Elizabeth was waking up and starting to get ready for the beach, I crept to the front door. I dashed from the house to the front office where the ring had been shipped, tore open the triple-boxing container, and ran back to the house. I took the ring from the box, wrapped it in tissue paper, and stored it in my bathing suit pocket - ready for the beach. Elizabeth and I had traditionally taken a long walk each day to reflect on our trip, discuss recent exciting life events, and think about our futures. Once we had walked far past the beautiful houses and the periphery of beach goers lounging on their chairs, I stopped walking and dropped to one knee in the cool surf. When Elizabeth turned around, she screamed, jumped, and ran away for a few seconds. But then she came back with tears in her eyes and collapsed to her knees in the water beside me. I think the last of her fears left her in that moment. She said yes.