"For the first time, I saw what the rest of my life looked like." Justin told me early on in our relationship that this was a thought that he had when he first saw me, but I knew it from the first time I practically leapt into his arms. Our first meeting was not met with confidence; I told my girlfriends that I was meeting this essential stranger that I had met on the internet AT HIS HOME, but I knew. I knew this man was special, and my mother knew it too. "I heard you laughing, and when I saw that you were actually talking on the phone, I knew this wasn't a run of the mill guy." I hated talking on the phone; even ordering takeout gave me anxiety, but Justin and I racked up hours of talking about everything and nothing before we had even met face to face. My inclination was right; Justin was and is someone very special. People have described us as the male and female halves of the same person, and they are absolutely right. I never believed in soulmates; I always viewed love as something worth it but something to be worked at consistently. I was half right. Justin and I are soulmates, and we work at our relationship, though "work" not in the way you might think. We work to always make it better; we work to always try and make it more fun; and we work to show each other how much we love one another every day. We're meant to be, and it's easy; that does not, however, meant that we ever stop trying to make it even better. We can't thank you enough for sharing this day with us because there is more than enough to go around; we might as well share it.

Justin and I went to Trapology in Boston for our first date, and I remember saying to him when we were exiting the building in the heart of Boston Common "That would be such a cool way to propose! You should do that some day." Flash forward nearly 2 years and 4 failed escape room trips later; we're in the middle of a pandemic, and he still managed to take the perfect proposal and make it better. August 22, 2020. We were nearing the end! We were finally going to complete one of these rooms. Trapology Boston would not best us again, I was certain of that. Immersed deep in the fictitious workings of the "missing man" we were meant to be unearthing, I did not stop to think how out of the blue the final clue was. "Identify these 'Harry Potter' characters by the missing letters to spell out the code to the small rectangular box I had thrust into Justin's hands moments before in favor of the more pressing puzzle items. I hugged my Maid of Honor in triumph; no 2 Potterheads existed who were more knowledgeable within the realm of the Wizarding World than she and I. Our 1 hour time allotment was steadily running down, and the clue was slowly - painfully slowly - coming together before my very eyes, and I STILL didn't see the forest for the trees. "T-H-I-R-T-Y-O-C-T-T-W-E-N-T...I will punch you in the face." What romantic words to say to my impending fiance when he was about to propose to me. With shaking hands, I lined up the combination lock that spelled out our wedding date, my Maid of Honor, my friend, and my fiance watching, and before I could say "Yes," my one of a kind ring sparkled brilliantly on my finger. "And that's the last and only time I will ever keep a secret from you," Justin said.