After graduating five years apart from URI, in the exact same program (Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Track), we both found ourselves working at Fujifilm electronic Materials. Michaela walked into the lunch room on her first day escorted by our mutual friend Zach, and sat across from Ryan. Michaela took one look at Ryan and thought, I'm going to be with him one day. One day wasn't so far away because 3 months later we found ourselves sitting across from each other at the "kids table" at the company Christmas party. The open bar worked it's magic and the two of us both found the confidence to make our move. We gathered together to take a group picture, and after our small group of 35 and under dispersed, Michaela was left standing admiring the photobooth printout, and Ryan lightly touched a hand to her hip to admire it with her. We spent the rest of the party talking non-stop and continued to talk until 3am while waiting out a snow storm at a friend's house. The next week we went on our first date at Los Andes on December 17th, 2017, and the rest is history. In the past 6 and a half years we have moved in together, traveled to many new places, tried new foods and restaurants, cheered each other on at basketball games and jiu jitsu tournaments, walked the beach hundreds of times, bought a house and on May 29th 2023 on a beach in Portugal, Ryan got down on one knee and asked Michaela to marry him, and she said yes.