We're getting married!

I first met the beautiful Jodi Riley, in her gym BBL Fitness. At the time, she was training other female athletes and managing the gym. If you haven’t been to BBL fitness, the energy there is amazing and one of the main reasons for that is the jovial and cheerful spirit of the owners. At that point, I was an “economically challenged” medical student in the middle of my quest to become a medical doctor. Jodi was not quite yet a professional athlete but was killing the bikini amateur division. I happened to be in Florida fulfilling my clinical rotation requirements, studying for my boards and praying I get into residency. With all of that on my plate, a partner was the last thing on my mind. BBL was my home gym at the time and my only stress relief. Everytime I saw Jodi, I felt her happy spirit which was contagious. It was refreshing and euphoric. She lit up the entire room with her smile alone. I was instantly drawn to her and the way she empowered people to be the best versions of themselves. I was drawn because not only did she tap into my medical and athletic background, but I also became a pure fan of what she did for others. I was compelled to walk up to her and say, “I love what you do for people. You really change lives. It is so much more than just the aesthetic appearance. It’s the health benefits, both physical and mental, as well as the confidence you instill in people. I would not have a job if people listened to you.” She smiled, shouted out a few more exercises to her group, put my number in her phone and invited me to her upcoming bikini bodybuilding show. I attended the competition and was thrilled to see her win. I asked if I could take her out to celebrate her achievement, she said yes and the rest was history… never looked back.

May 2nd, 2022, one of the best days of my life. The man I knew I wanted to marry, turned my dream into a reality and proposed. It was the eve of my birthday and I was completely blindsided. We had already planned an eventful weekend, my birthday dinner and a helicopter ride. I had no further expectations. Obi had one of my best friends take me to brunch while the others were setting up at my house. We went to a beautiful spot in Miami called Little Hen. The ambience was everything. Pink roses showered the room, a violinist played happy birthday for me and I immediately became emotional. While waiting for our food, I began to cry. My friend asked me what was wrong and my response was, "I'm just happy." In the moment, an overwhelming feeling of happiness and contentment of where I was in life, filled my heart. It's funny because the entire week, I felt something big was about to happen. I told Obi a few times that God was working on something in our lives. The year 2022 was filled with many blessings and as I sat at the table and reflected, I knew there was more to come. Still, a proposal was not on my mind. Fast forward, we left brunch to head back to my house. I opened the door and BOOM! My entire body froze. My heart was racing 1000 mph. I eventually gathered myself, walked in and dropped my purse. The lights were dim, rose petals everywhere, photos of Obi and I hanging from balloons and soft music playing. As I looked out into the foyer hall, there stood my now fiancé, holding our daughter with a sign that said, ‘will you marry daddy’. I broke down. As badly as I wanted to run into his arms, my legs would not stop shaking. What felt like a 10 minute walk, was simply me looking Obi in his eyes and thanking God.