We like to joke that we wish we had met in a chemistry lab—but the truth is, it was statistics. A psychology statistics lab, to be exact. The class was so tough that groups of five slowly dwindled, and by the end of the semester, it was just the two of us left. Mark swears the only reason he stayed (and passed) was because of me. What started as lab partners quickly turned into late-night library sessions, where Mark’s easygoing persistence slowly opened me up. He became my best friend. After class, we’d walk together to pick up Bang energy drinks. I thought I had a loyal Bang-drinking buddy by my side, but little did I know—he never actually finished one. He tried nearly every flavor just to keep me company. Our first official date was dinner and a movie. The film? Easily one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. But bad reviews didn’t stop Mark from trying to make a move! From there, it was a year of persistence: Valentine’s dinners with flowers he drove hours to pick up, late-night Buc-ee’s drives, road trips to Corpus Christi. Eventually, one summer evening in Galveston, with the help of some gentle nudges from my friend and my family, I began to see what everyone else saw so clearly—this was something more. I invited Mark to lunch with my parents, expecting a quick meal before my shift. Four hours later, when I called to check in, he was still sitting at the table chatting away with them. Soon after, my family “suggested” one last trip before school started—back to Galveston. It just so happened to be the trip where Mark was invited along. Looking back, I think they were in on it all along. That weekend, everything fell into place. He fit perfectly with my family, and I with his. It was one of those moments where you know God’s hand is at work. It was there, on that trip, that Mark asked me to be his girlfriend. The rest is history—four years together, five years knowing each other, and countless memories since. We’ve built a little family of our own with our pup, Emerald. Together, we’ve created a home, built careers, and traveled to places like Michigan, Vegas, Chicago, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Cuba, Honduras, Lake Tahoe, and beyond. Our love is rare, pure, and beautiful. And now, we can’t wait to begin the next chapter—marriage.