You know what they say, first comes school... then more school, then a little more school...then marriage! It sounds simple, but it took over 30 years for Brandon and Nellab to finally meet. And unbeknownst to them, there was somebody out there who grew up completely different living across the country, yet shared the same eerily identical traits (and bowlcut hairstyle) who would later become their spouse. Brandon Gregory Lucas grew up an All-American Midwestern boy, born and raised in Terre Haute, Indiana. He went off to Indiana University for undergraduate and medical school, then later moved to Columbus, Ohio for his medical residency in Orthopedic Surgery. Don't be fooled by his academic aptitude and three first names though, Brandon was anything but a "nerd." He spent his youth breaking ankles on the bball court, perfecting his karate chop going on to receive a black belt, and spent his free time enthralled with music--more specifically, he developed a cult-like devotion to Dave Matthews Band and Armando Christian Perez, otherwise known as Pitbull (Mr. Worldwide). His love for music also included a strong affinity for live jazz music, which made his decision to complete his Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship in New Orleans a no-brainer. Across the country, 2,055.1 miles west of Terre Haute, a little girl whose name few could pronounce, Nellab Yakuby, was born in Hollywood, CA. Imagine Brandon's classic American upbringing, now picture the exact opposite... Nellab's parents came to the United States in the early 1980's from Afghanistan to seek refuge during the Cold War. She never became a Hollywood star, but she did become a little firecracker. At 5 years old, Nellab learned she could get out of going to school if she woke up before everyone to hide under her bed for hours while her family thought she was kidnapped. Ironically, she later realized that school wasn't all that bad and, like Brandon, proceeded to pursue an additional 13 years of education after high school. She went off to UC San Diego for college, lived in San Francisco for a year for her AmeriCorps service, until finally, moving to New Orleans for 8 years to complete medical school and residency training in Anesthesiology...and to meet her future husband. Flash forward to 2020, Brandon was a single man, looking for love, Nellab was a single gal, looking for a father for her dog, Zion. Brandon had lived in New Orleans for only a mere 10 days before Nellab swooped him when they went on their first date at Hot Tin to take in the rooftop views of the New Orleans skyline. Brandon came to the date straight after taking his 8 hr surgery board exams. Nellab arrived 15 mins late, with no real plausible explanation except for that she has a problem. He firmly retracts this statement now, but Brandon then said "I think it's kinda cute you're always late." And well, he won her heart and the rest was kind of history. Australia was on fire and the world was on lockdown, but the next few months and year in New Orleans, you best believe that they found a way to have the time of their lives. As the year came to an end, they both knew that Nellab had already matched in a one year fellowship program at UC Irvine in Southern California, and after a series of unpredictable events, Brandon came out to the West Coast beside her. Alas, Zion had a dog dad now.

Brandon proposed to Nellab on July 23rd, 2022, which happens to also be the anniversary of their first date, and spent months planning everything to come together. The week of the proposal, Brandon's family came to L.A., "just to visit." Long story short, Nellab, Brandon and his siblings drove up the scenic Pacific Coast Highway that Saturday morning with plans to stop at a beach at the bottom of Point Dume, a lookout point on the cliffs of Malibu, before heading to brunch. But when they arrived, they were forced to take a slight detour which involved taking an impromptu hike up and down a cliff in brunch attire. Nellab actually suggested just skipping it altogether so they wouldn't miss their reservation (she really loves brunch), but the Lucas clan was oddly enthusiastic about hiking in heels and flip flops, which makes a lot more sense in hindsight. She followed them down an obstacle course-like path, one by one they lowered themselves to the beach rappelling down a rope, then tip-toed across a heap of jagged rocks. The time had finally come though, Brandon was in position on the beach exactly where he mapped out during his practice runs and was trying to get Nellab to join him. Nellab had other plans though, and was trying to setup a timed group selfie from the top of the embankment...while Brandon anxiously waited. Needless to say, she finally came down to the sand to join Brandon and, no matter how many times the big moment was almost derailed, the proposal went off without a hitch! Brandon dropped down to one knee(lob) on the sand of Big Dume Beach and asked her to be his wife (She said yes!) They finally went off to brunch to celebrate and announce the big news. When they returned to Brandon's apartment in Santa Monica, Nellab opened the apartment door and was in utter shock to see friends and family from all over the country gathered in one room yelling congrats! Brandon had secretly arranged a surprise engagement party with their loved ones. She looked at Brandon and he smirked...he knew he did good. He did really good.