We met at work in 2014. The first time Rudy saw Maritza, he thought to himself, “She’s so beautiful — I want to get to know her.” Little did he know that they would soon be working very closely together — in the same small office room. This is where our story truly began. While working side by side, Rudy and Maritza began sharing personal stories and getting to know each other on a deeper level. Maritza lovingly referred to Rudy as “my Yoda” for his wise advice and calm presence. Every Monday, Rudy would bring roses for all the women in the office… but somehow, Maritza always received a few extra. Suspicious? Definitely! When Rudy finally confessed his feelings, Maritza’s response was a firm, “Yeeeeeeeah… that’s not happening!” She didn’t want to risk ruining the wonderful friendship they had built. But fate had other plans. After a Toys“R”Us shopping trip for a birthday party, Maritza had a realization: “Hey… he’s fun!” That weekend, we attended two birthday parties on Saturday, then spent Sunday at a race at Homestead Speedway with Maritza’s sisters. By the end of the weekend, it was clear — we had way too much fun together to ignore the spark. That Monday morning at work, Maritza finally said the words that changed everything: “Okay… let’s give this a try!” Our first date was on October 2, 2015, at an Italian restaurant in Miami. Just six days later, on October 8, 2015, Maritza was meeting Rudy’s family for the first time. Before leaving work that day, Rudy asked, “Should I introduce you as my girlfriend?” And the rest… is history.

After moving away to Keene, New Hampshire in September 2017, Maritza flew back to Miami in December for her cousin Kristie’s wedding. On December 3, 2017, after returning from Kristie’s bachelorette weekend, Maritza’s family decided to celebrate Christmas early while she was in town. While Maritza and her sister were in a bedroom wrapping Christmas presents, Rudy arrived at the house and immediately asked Maritza where her dad was. Confused, she told him he was outside. What Maritza didn’t know was that Rudy had stepped outside to ask her father for her hand in marriage. When Rudy came back inside, he joined Maritza and her sister as they continued wrapping gifts. At one point, Maritza reached into Rudy’s pants pocket and casually said, “Can I have your phone to take a picture of this gift?” Rudy immediately reacted — very out of character — and sternly said, “NO! Not in your mom’s house!” What Maritza didn’t realize at the time was that she had actually felt the ring box in his pocket. But because of his unusual reaction, she didn’t put two and two together (hindsight really is 20/20). After Christmas dinner — but before dessert — Rudy clinked his glass to get everyone’s attention. He began by thanking the Garcia family for inviting him and for the wonderful Christmas dinner. Then, turning directly to Maritza, he said, “I know that you and your sister have been subtly hinting that I get you the Disney Princess ring you’ve been wanting (which, by the way, you are not that subtle!)… but I just want you to know that I will never give you that ring.” Maritza’s face instantly dropped, thinking, “Really? You’re bringing this up in front of my whole family?” Then Rudy paused — for what felt like forever to Maritza — smiled, and said, “I hope you like this one instead.” He pulled the ring box out of his pocket, got down on one knee, and asked, “Maritza Garcia, will you marry me?” Of course, Maritza immediately burst into tears (she’s so emotional like that!) and said YES! In the excitement, Rudy placed the ring on the wrong hand. Maritza quickly said, “That’s the wrong hand,” to which Rudy replied, “What? That’s the hand you gave me!” At that moment, Maritza’s sister Veronica began playing their song, “My Best Friend” by Tim McGraw, and that’s when the tears really started flowing. Speechless and overwhelmed with love, Rudy took Maritza’s hand (after placing the ring on the correct hand this time), and they shared a slow dance to their song in front of her entire family. To this day, Maritza loves to joke with Rudy, “So, I had to move away for you to know you wanted to marry me?” On a scale of 1 to 10, the proposal was a perfect 100 — a moment they will cherish forever.