When we first met, we could never imagine where we would end up. At 12 years old we were just friends, when we were 14, we became best friends and after a summer of texting nonstop, at 15, we started dating. At a friend's party, through the loud 2009 pop hits, Michael asked, "do you want to go on a date...with me...Saturday night?" I of course, said yes. As we got up to dance, ironically to Beyonce's "Single Ladies", he clarified, "you know earlier, I really meant, will you be my girlfriend," but of course, I already knew; I already spoke "Michael" language. Throughout high school, we learned about each other's quirks, how competitive we were and how much fun we had together. In college, we learned how to take care of each other, get through hard times and REALLY celebrate the good times. After graduating, we started our long-distance stint, him in Gainesville in medical school, me in Tampa, starting my career. We went through the hardest times in both of our lives, losing our grandfathers who taught us both so much- especially to love each deeply and purposefully. In December of 2018, Michael and I went to one of our favorite places in the world, Central Park in New York. We walked around in the freezing cold snuggled up with each other, so blissfully happy. As we walked towards Bethesda fountain near the middle of Central Park we passed a string quartet playing beautiful music. As I started to walk again he grabbed my hand and turned me around. He got down on one knee and, this time was clear as crystal with his words; he asked me to be his wife. I stared at him, surprised (and took a little too long of a pause) and said yes, voice shaking. We started out young- and still are, but we grew up together, changed together and will continue to grow together. 11 years full of firsts and now, we have forever to go.

As you know, our wedding was supposed to be 5/30/20. But, life has a funny way of hitting you, full-force, with things you never could even imagine. When COVID happened, we were devastated. We had to postpone our wedding and cancel our dream honeymoon. But what we soon realized was that was trivial. We were and are so lucky to have our family healthy and safe and that is what matters. But just because we postponed the celebration, didn't mean we had to postpone our marriage. We got married as planned on May 30, 2020 in an intimate ceremony officiated by my dad in his backyard. Our moms were our witnesses and had the most special time. We will always be grateful for that day and how truly unique and beautiful it was. Because of the event of last year, we bought a house sooner than expected, got a puppy WAY sooner than expected and got to spend three whole months nesting in our new home as Michael had an unexpected extended break. While we never could have predicted what happened last year, it made us so much more appreciative for everything in our lives. We are excited to celebrate safely this year. Masks and hand sanitizer might not be "normal" wedding favor, but who every wanted to stick to "normal" anyway :).