It all started with a ’I saw you from across the room and the whole world stopped’, in the basement of a club in DC that will not be named in April 2015. I was defiant and uninterested in being pursued. He was persistent and unwavering in his resolve (not much not has changed in those areas). I was a student trying to navigate my way through Georgetown. He was a hard worker still trying to find his way in life (a lot has changed in those areas). However, one thing was clear: there was a feeling that cannot be shaken even when almost nothing about our lives lined up perfectly. - Shout out to Jazmin and a few others who peer-pressured me to go out that night. Y’all were there from the beginning. - Shout out to Deserea and Rebecca for witnessing the prelude and afterward of our first date. Then in August 2015 during my family trip to Pensacola, Fl, 1 phone call on the beach revealed the whole relationship. ‘She never talks on the phone’ my mom said from the balcony of the hotel to my dad. ‘She must be talking to a boy. It has to be a boy!’. - Shout out to the close relationship between my mom and the holy spirit for spoiling any attempt at secrecy. From that point on, everything intensified in our lives and in our relationship. Plenty of ups and downs, downs, and more downs. However, we persevered and turned the unexpected into a lifetime together. One college graduation, 2 apartments, 3 cars, a few meet the parents events, 15+ trips, 2 cats, and 5 years later we are walking down the aisle and saying "I do". Honorable mentions: - The man on the beach in South Carolina that photo-documented the live engagement. - The evolution of my domestic capabilities - Uncle Pancho for predicting the wedding before anyone else - Ginger and Rose, our fur babies (more to come)