Jeff and I met when we both worked at the Newport Aquarium during college. My first memory of Jeff is when he trained me the first summer I started. Fast forward a year later after my first year at UK, and Jeff and I met again working at the Newport Aquarium six years ago. About halfway through the summer I got a call from an unknown Michigan number. He said it was Jeff, and I said, "Jeff from the aquarium?" He asked me out on a date, and of course I said yes! On 7/10/13, Jeff took me to Wild Ginger for dinner. Ironically I don't like sushi, so ended up ordering a side salad. He won me over by ending the date with gelato in Ault Park, and the rest is history. Jeff popped the question in Ault Park on 5/1/19, and I cannot wait to marry my best friend.

One day, long ago, a supervisor at the Newport Aquarium told me I was to train a new employee for the day – a certain new employee I had noticed for weeks. After failed attempts to plant myself near her for conversation, I had a plausible reason to laugh and talk with her, ALL DAY! Through the following weeks we talked sporadically, but soon summer ended and she went off to college. She returned a year later and the trainer finally gathered the nerve to call the trainee. “I’m busy this week, but maybe next week. I’ll let you know when I know my work schedule.” The following day my flip phone buzzed and a week later we were sitting down at a Thai restaurant on our first date. It was at this table I learned the girl I trained at the Aquarium didn’t like seafood. Luckily, in only a few days we found plenty of reason to laugh about our first adventure together. Since that time, we have shared in many more adventures, but it will always be hard to top the earliest memories, and the laughter of a first date.