It’s January 2021, and the boys are all on their way to St. Pete for one hell of a weekend. Our friend, Mike, is getting married and, well…it’s time to throw down for his bachelor party. I had just moved to St. Pete a couple months earlier and knew of a few good spots to check out, but I was certainly no local expert tour guide. It was up to me to make sure Mike and the rest of the boys had a weekend to remember, and little did I know, this weekend was about to change my life forever. After a little pre-gaming at my place, we were all ready to head to downtown St. Pete. Our shoes were tied, the beers were cold, and the Uber driver had arrived. After the first couple places we went to, it was apparent that none of these guys were going to talk to any women. As a single guy, selfishly, I was disappointed. I went over to my friend, Torey, and told him that we needed to spice things up a bit and get some females at our table. I couldn’t have these guys drive over two hours to St. Pete for Mike’s bachelor party weekend and us not talk to any women. I had to do something…but how? The security guards in this bar wouldn’t allow you to stand up and walk around. No, not with COVID going on. You had to stay in your seat and if you didn’t have a seat, you had to find one or leave. That was the rule. I quickly stood up to survey the room in hopes of spotting some, what we call, talent. I looked at Torey, pointed at the bar area, and said, “Over there. See them? Three girls at a table with one open seat. I’m going in.” That night, the Orlando Magic were playing the Boston Celtics and, lucky for me, the TV closest to these girls had the game on. I had no idea what I was going to say to them, so I figured I would buy myself some time. As I approached the table, I pointed to the empty chair and asked, “Is anyone sitting here?” They looked at one another with a slight smirk on their faces, looked back at me and shook their heads. I pulled the seat out, turned my back to them and faced the TV to collect my thoughts for a solid thirty seconds before finally turning around to introduce myself to Jenna, Stephanie and what would become my future wife, Riana. It took maybe all of a minute or two before signaling over to my usual wingman, Torey, to come pull up a chair, and join in on the conversation. I asked the girls for some help with the whole bachelor party thing, because I was quickly running out of things to do. After all, I’m still a newbie in this town and probably knew just 3 or 4 people within a 100 mile radius. To my surprise, they agreed to help, and we bounced around downtown, talking, laughing, and sharing stories for hours before finally arriving at a club called “The Estate.” Now, most of my friends know that I don’t like to dance. I’m not very good at it, and it’s never really been my thing, but that Friday night I knew there was one girl that I just had to dance with…and let me tell you something…Riana and I tore that dance floor up! We were in our own little world for a while, and after the last song ended, it was time to part ways…but not before we got some pizza. As we rallied the troops and started ordering Ubers…Riana went to the counter to grab our two large pepperoni pizzas. I was standing next to Jenna at the time when I turned to her and asked, “What is she like?” Jenna just smiled and said, “What you see is what you get.” It was at this moment I knew I had to see Riana again. I felt as if I had already fallen for her, and we had only just met. It took a whole 18-hours before our two groups met up again for another fun night out on the town, and Riana & I have been together ever since. She is the most beautiful, loving, smart, funny, thoughtful, and ambitious woman I have ever known. Not to mention that she also has the sweetest and most amazing family anyone could ever ask for. I love you, Riana, and I thank God everyday for putting us in each other’s lives. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with YOU.