May 28th, 2023: the day I became the luckiest man alive. It’s the day Lia Milan Severino said yes to becoming my wife. I want to tell you how it all went down and why France holds such a special place in our story. But before we get to that moment, we’ve got to rewind to the day before, May 27th. Milan had just finished her first major exam of medical school. We were riding high on the excitement and joy of that milestone; the first big step toward a dream she’s had since she was a little girl. What she didn’t know was that I was excited and proud too… but also anxious. Nervous. On edge. Because I was planning to propose to the love of my life — in a country I had never even been to before. I kept telling myself, “Everything will be fine. You’ve got this.” But I had no idea just how much that day was going to test me. We were both thrilled, not only for our first international trip together, but also just to get out of Memphis for a while. If you know us, you know Memphis wasn’t exactly our favorite place, and we were more than ready for a change of scenery. But then, two hours before we were supposed to leave for the airport, I get a message: our flight’s delayed 30 minutes. Okay. Not ideal, but manageable. As we finished packing and got ready to leave, the delays kept coming. Every 30 minutes, another push. Our layover in Philadelphia was supposed to be three hours before our flight to Paris. That window was getting tighter by the minute. By the time we were actually headed to the airport, the stress was hitting hard. Milan was nervous, and I was in full-blown panic mode. I had a boat cruise scheduled for the next morning in Paris at 11am sharp, and that was the moment I had planned to propose. There were no rebookings. No rescheduling. That boat was happening with or without us. And all I could think was: We cannot miss that second flight.