Ginika -- or Oma as I call her -- and I met in Orlando, FL in 2019. I had come to visit my uncle, and as I was settling into the room prepared for me, I saw this gorgeous, ravishingly tall woman walking by. Once our eyes locked, we exchanged our first pleasantries and introduced ourselves. She had never seen me before, but in that moment, she decided to offer me an Aunt Annie's pretzel. This was to become a feature I loved about her: the enormity of her heart! Oma's immense kindness was natural and genuine, even to strangers. We then proceeded to have an amazing conversation about literatlly everything!! (I don't even recall now). But that's also another feature that has come to define the contours of our entire relationship. I recall her admiring my use of adjectives, but what she didn't realize was how much I adored how she spoke; with such elegance and grace, but also a curiosity that can be piercing. Ever since, we have been friends who found a way to make rich conversation from the simplest topic. Most captivating of all is her passion for her faith. She loves God and wants to know Him more, and you can tell by the dedication and curiosity she embodies when studying the scripture or asking questions about it. As life may have it, we ventured into different relational spaces, but over time, the more we spoke, the more it became clear to me that Oma was my kind, and she is the woman I would want to spend my entire life with. By 2025, it was already certain that I would want to make this woman of wisdom my wife. I am privileged that she said yes to me. I know my life will never remain the same, as it will only shine brighter and brighter until the day of the Lord. I love you dearly, Awelem.

2019, Orlando, FL - I was in town for my residency interview at AdventHealth. However, the days leading up to it, "my uncle" (not by blood but a long-time family friend) was throwing his wife a baby shower. It was at this event that I met Emmanuel or Zube as I call him. We exchanged greetings and then began to make small talk. Small talk eventually turned into a full blown conversation. I happened to have an Auntie Anne's pretzel in my hand and I offered him some (because honestly everyone knows that it's best to eat it when it's fresh --- plus, it would have been rude if I just ate it by myself amidst our conversation without offering him some hahaha!) So as we devoured this pretzel, we kept talking and I realized how much of a conversationalist he was (with excellent diction and unique perspectives)! This was by far a feature that kept us going over the next 5+ years (through an array of life changes, educational pursuits, dealing with family losses, etc.). Our flow and connection was effortless. I enjoyed how well he "saw me" and vice versa. There's a level of understanding we possessed that was unparalleled (and still is). Our knack for doing devotionals together on the Bible App and unpacking scripture was also top tier. It was evident that what we had was solid. As such, it shouldn't have come as a surprise to me when Zube told me that he wanted us to be more than friends... and yet it did! Indeed the God of Suddenly will do that to you - HE will rock your world and bless you with a reality far better than anything you could have thought, asked for, or imagined. So fast forward to now, we are taking the bold next step into holy matrimony, fully locked into doing life together. Zube, I love you - truly, no measure of time with you will be long enough, but let's start with forever.