Our first time meeting was in the James E. Walker Library on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. Tristan was in the final semester of his Audio Engineering program and I was in the first semester of my Nursing program. Since Tristan was on his way out of MTSU as a graduating senior and I was on my way in as a transfer student, our window of meeting by chance was very slim. Both of us were deep in study one evening in the library when our stars aligned and our fate was sealed by mutual-friend (and now groomsman) Andrew Fiscu making introductions. The rest is history.

We had a very unconventional relationship evolution. First came moving in together, then sharing a few apartments, then Tristan becoming Charlie’s adoptive dog-dad, then rescuing very loud-and-proud Keanu, then buying our first house together, THEN the proposal. While we went against the grain of tradition, this route really solidified the foundation of our relationship. We tackled a LOT of milestones (and hurdles) hand-in-hand while constructing the building blocks of our life together. We made it through the trials and tribulations of me surviving nursing school (Tristan deserves a medal for this alone), graduating both of our challenging college programs at the top of our classes, landing our first careers, losing family members very close to us and navigating each others’ grief and healing processes, and learning to live together and love each other for all that we are (all of this during a pandemic, no less). By the time the proposal came around, everything was already so certain. On our 3-year relationship anniversary we went to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and had an intimate dinner where Tristan got down on one knee and asked the magic words to which I replied absolutely, duh, yes. It was very private and special. I had been recovering from fresh eye surgery so I was unable to actually see the ring in the dim-lit romantic atmosphere. Nonetheless, I knew without a shadow of a doubt it was everything I could have ever wished for coming from the man of my dreams. Tristan knocked the proposal out of the park!