Memorial Day weekend of 2023 changed everything. At the time, Sarah was living in Fort Worth while finishing her graduate school clinical placement. She came home for the holiday weekend to spend time with friends and was invited to a gathering at Joe’s house by a mutual friend. Sarah almost didn’t go. After all, she had a five hour drive back to Fort Worth the next day, but their friend was persistent, and thankfully, she gave in. When Sarah arrived, she was introduced to Joe and a few of his friends. Joe was a little shy at first, while Sarah was anything but. As the evening went on, the two found themselves inching closer together until they ended up chatting poolside. During their conversation, Joe casually mentioned that he needed a “hot date” for his upcoming high school reunion. Sarah couldn’t help but laugh at his pickup line, and the two spent the rest of the night talking. When the evening came to an end, Sarah called their mutual friend to confess that she had a crush on Joe. Despite being told not to, their friend immediately hung up and called Joe to tell him. Within minutes, Joe called Sarah, and from that moment on, they never stopped talking. Their first date was at a sushi restaurant in Kemah. They were both nervous, but by the end of the night, Sarah knew there was something special about Joe. He was charming, kind, and gentle. A few months later, during a trip to Austin with friends, Joe asked Sarah to be his girlfriend. Over the next year, they spent countless hours driving five hours each way just to see one another. Through every mile, their relationship grew stronger, and before long, Joe told Sarah he loved her. As Sarah’s clinical placement in Fort Worth came to an end, Joe took the next step. He asked Sarah and her beloved dog, Dawson, to come home, and together they found a house to build their future in. On February 22, 2026, in beautiful Evia in Galveston, Joe asked Sarah to spend the rest of her life with him. She said yes, and now they can’t wait to celebrate the beginning of their next chapter surrounded by the people they love most.