It was Thanksgiving week 2016. A few friends were in town visiting family for the holiday, and they wanted to meet at Tacoland one night. I met them there, thinking we'd all just have a drink and catch up after not seeing each other for a while. Before I'd even ordered a drink, I noticed there was a very good looking girl standing right behind me waiting for her turn at the bar. I knew I'd never seen anyone so beautiful before. I probably said something awkward and not very "smooth", and went back to my group of friends. Not long after, I saw the same girl at a table right next to ours. Some of the other girls she was with knew a friend of mine. I took that opportunity to say something else awkward and not smooth to her. By the end of the night I'd asked for her phone number, and for some reason she gave it to me. She said her name was Vanessa, and ever since then I've known that she was someone who I hoped would be in my life. Not so long after, I knew that the girl who was waiting behind me in line, Vanessa, was the woman I was meant to be with. I'm so thankful to be marrying her soon, and I will always be grateful that God had put us in line at the same time.

It was my third year in law school, and I decided to go out for one last “girl’s night” before going into hiding to study for final exams. I went to dinner with my friend Moraya and some of her girlfriends, and we decided to grab a drink at a nearby bar afterward. One of the girls in our group knew one of the guys at the table next to ours, and introductions between the two tables ensued. That’s when I met Lincoln—the handsome guy I had noticed at the bar earlier. Before I knew it, Lincoln and I were talking about our favorite music and TV shows - many of which we had in common. Between his sweet smile and hilarious George Steinbrenner impersonation, I could’ve talked to him all night. He wound up taking my phone number, and I hoped to hear from him soon. Lincoln waited three whole days before calling me—he still swears by the “three-day rule”—and we have spoken every day since. I am so thankful to have met Lincoln at that bar five years ago, and am overjoyed that I get to spend the rest of my life by his side.