Kiely and I first went out at a school formal at the end of our junior year at Baylor, however that was not the first time I had noticed her. Over a year before, during the fall of our sophomore year, I saw her at a different event and was struck by her beauty and therefore could not gather the courage to speak with her. I expressed my feelings to a few friends but I thought that was it. Luckily, I had a friend set me up with her a year later for the aforementioned formal. We went to the formal together and had a great time to which I followed up and asked her on a date. Thankfully she agreed and I told her I’d pick her up for dinner in a few days. The Texas weather is always unpredictable and on the night I was planning to take her to dinner, we experienced pouring rain, lightning, and a tornado warning. I was still happy to go regardless of the weather, and to my surprise it was of no bother to her either. With that, we went to the nearest fine college Italian restaurant in the downpour. As we dined, I had already been dazzled by her good looks and style, but as I learned more about her I was floored by her impressive character, as all who know her are. Kiely so effortlessly displayed compassion and kindness, easily coupled with wit and intelligence, and was so evidently pursuing Christ and lifestyle that promotes Him. With this, I knew I was with someone special. Kiely and I were both in our college town of Waco, Texas for the summer for different reasons, which is not the ideal summer destination for most. But we made the most of it; attending trivia nights, swimming in Lake Waco, playing cards, walking in Cameron Park, and even cliff jumping. In the coming months we agreed to “make things official” and continued to grow together through the remainder of our time at Baylor. We enjoyed celebrating our senior year together- attending formals, football games, and finding time in our busy schedules to sneak in date nights. As that time came to a close, it would be tough as I was headed home to California for the summer before starting graduate school in Boston that fall and she was headed home to Georgia to begin her interior design work there. We navigated a few challenging months of the time change and long distance, coming out stronger than before in our relationship. Following this, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. We had grown to know each over our time in undergrad, but that summer became testing in our relationship and her resilience and strength were inspiring and something I knew I wanted to have in my life forever. I convinced her to apply for jobs where my graduate program is located in Boston, and God provided her with a wonderful opportunity. Thankfully, she accepted and the long distance battle was over! After her first week of work we headed to the North End of Boston to celebrate her new job in a new town. It had been snowing all day, so we took a walk in a park nearby. That was when I proposed to her, and thankfully she agreed to marry me! Kiely and I are so blessed to have the story and opportunities that we’ve had. So many people have played unique roles in our lives to help us get to this point and we cannot wait to celebrate!