Luke and Maria are dedicated educators. In addition to teaching and shaping young minds, they lead international student trips – Luke to Japan, and Maria to wherever her heart may flutter. During the 2023-2024 school year, they happened to be using the same tour company (ACIS shoutout!) for the first time. ACIS sends new educator clients on a “training weekend” to Spain over MLK weekend, and Luke and Maria were easily convinced to be whisked around Europe. Luke brought his sister Tessa as his plus-one (Maria initially mistook her for his wife!), while Maria traveled solo. On a visit to the Torres Winery, an hour outside of Barcelona, Luke and Maria were assigned to the same bus, the “Paella” bus, but did not meet right away. Later that day, however, the group was treated to a four-course lunch with wine pairings (a grueling training, indeed!). Teachers were asked to sit at tables labeled by content areas (e.g., Social Studies, World Languages, etc.). In the middle of the room sat two tables labeled “Other” for those whose subjects were not represented. Luke, still traumatized from conjugating ser and estar during his time as a Spanish teacher, chose the “Other” table with Tess. Moments later, Maria breezed into the room, boldly approached the table, and asked, “Anyone here English??” After joining the table, Maria, Tess, Tim (another “Other” table member), and Luke became instant friends. That evening, Luke led a group of Paella-bus travelers to La Boquería, Barcelona’s famed market, where the party enjoyed oysters and cold cervezas. Drawing on his vast knowledge of Spain, Luke then guided the Paellas to a local tapas bar to continue the revelry. At the bar, Maria chatted with Luke as he ordered drinks and snacks in flawless Castellano, and soon a spark grew between them. Over the next two days, Luke and Maria spent the whole weekend together with the Paellas, visiting Parc Güell, La Sagrada Familia, and soaking in the vibrant energy of Barcelona. On their final evening, as Luke and Maria strolled through the moonlit streets of old town Barcelona, Luke asked Maria if he could come to Richmond to take her to dinner. Whether it was the albariño she’d had at dinner, the romantic setting, or Luke’s irresistible charms, Maria was surprised and delighted – and she said yes. A week later, Luke drove to Richmond, where he and Maria engaged in soulful conversation over brunch, admired the collections at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and sipped margaritas in Carytown. After that first date, Maria and Luke saw each other almost every weekend, talking endlessly by phone and text, and making travel plans for the future. Over the next few months, they introduced each other to family, friends, and the worlds they each had built. This past July, just before leaving for vacation with Maria, Luke held a clandestine meeting with her parents, sharing his plans to propose and asking for their blessing. Three weeks later, on their last night in Nova Scotia, Luke’s vision of a romantic sunset proposal on Cape Breton’s famed Skyline Trail was thwarted when Maria said she was far too cold and tired to linger around longer. Undeterred, Luke sagely waited until Maria was warm, comfortable, and tucked into pajamas with a hot drink before trying again. Then, squeezing his large frame between the bed and her mountain of luggage, Luke dropped to one knee and asked Maria to be his wife. Although not the original plan, this proposal was simple, genuine, and intimate, a perfect metaphor for Luke and Maria’s future life together. Once her initial shock subsided, Maria said yes, and the newly engaged couple called their parents to share the happy news. Love hadn’t been part of the plan when Maria and Luke took their separate flights to Spain in January 2024, but it found them anyway. Now, they are thrilled to be looking ahead to a lifetime of saying yes to each other.