We first met 18 years ago in Germany, back when I was visiting family and he was living in Heidenheim. We became friends, added each other on social media, and then… life happened. For years we only exchanged the occasional message, always meaning to catch up in person someday. Fast forward to two years ago, when I planned another trip to Germany. On a whim, I reached out to see if he happened to be around Heidenheim. As fate would have it, he had recently moved back. We met up—and ended up having the longest first date either of us had ever been on. By the end of that week, we knew this was something different. We decided to be exclusive, even if it meant going long-distance for a while. Eventually, I made the hard—but absolutely right—decision to move to Germany. Since then, we’ve built a life filled with memories: time in the U.S. with my family/friends, great times with his family/friends in Germany, and countless adventures around Europe that we’ll never forget. After a beautiful trip to Italy, he decided it was time. He proposed a couple months later- in Heidenheim, the day before my birthday. And just a couple months after that, we got the most incredible news: we’re expecting our first child! It’s been a long story in the making, but the best chapters are just beginning.