We were both students in UofT/Michener when we had to select our clinical placement. I chose Halifax since I've always wanted to go to the east coast. Out of the 4 spots available, 3/4 were filled and one went to lottery. Ethan got randomly selected. Since we were the only non-locals going to NS, I reached out to Ethan- as complete strangers, to ask him if he wanted to live together (which also meant quarantine together). He said yes! The first time we laid eyes on each other was in the airport in Halifax where we drove to our Airbnb to quarantine and spent the next 2 months in very close quarters. Since then, we haven't spent more than 10 days apart. I always thought I was destined to win the lottery and I did in 2021 with Ethan.

Keeping the ring a secret for well over a month was originally stressful until I discovered the power of reverse-psychology. Any and all questions regarding the ring were answered with my best poker face and simply, “It’s definitely in the apartment”. Finally, the day was upon us and in order to keep the surprise, I had to pretend as though our picnic at Point Pleasant park was casual. I took my time getting ready, risking the departure of the beautiful sunny day, but in my eyes it was worth it for the surprise. We took our time finding a place to lay down our blanket because Lex was looking for shade for my sake while I was looking for a more secluded spot. Eventually we located the perfect place, beneath a few trees overlooking the ocean, with sailboats and a lighthouse in the distance. I was a bundle of nerves despite knowing her answer, but I slyly placed my phone to take a video, grabbed the ring, and brought Lex a few steps away. I said a few words that were captured by the video but escaped my memory due to the nerves, went down on one knee, and asked my soulmate if she would marry me.