We're getting married!

Before I met Nisreen, I didn’t believe in soulmates. The idea felt like something reserved for movies or fairytales—nice in theory, but not something that actually happened in real life. I was content with my routines, and the belief that love was great… but probably not destined. Then came our first date. We signed up for a pottery-making class, thinking it would be a fun, low-pressure way to get to know each other. Spoiler: we were terrible at it. We got the clay way too wet, our attempts at a simple cup collapsed into sad blobs, and instead of giving up, Nisreen pivoted with total confidence. She decided she wasn’t making a cup anymore—instead she was sculpting her cat, Queen Victoria VI (aka Tori). Watching her mold the clay, laughing the whole time, I felt something shift. After we finished with pottery, we went and got drinks at Juleps. There our conversation went beyond anything I could have expected. She was able to get me to open up about my deepest secrets, my dreams, and all the things that you may want to normally hide on a first date. By the end of the night, covered in clay and grinning ear to ear, I knew this wasn’t just a good date. She was different. Special. The one. I left that date floating. A few days later, I went on a long-planned fishing trip with my college buddies. They expected the usual stories about work or whatever—but all I could talk about was Nisreen. “The date was amazing,” I told them. “I think she might be the one.” They teased me mercilessly, but I didn’t care. I meant it. From there, everything moved fast in the best way possible. We started seeing each other constantly, and once we became official, we haven’t spent a single day apart. Our early dates felt like discovering a new world together. Of all the dates, the one that stands out most was at Memorial Park, right after they’d installed the new pond and built a beautiful pier. We walked out onto it and stayed for what felt like forever—just talking, challenging each other’s ideas, sharing dreams, and staring out over the water as the light changed. It was simple, deep, and perfect. Nisreen later told me that she had dreamed about that date, and how special that spot felt to her. That moment locked in for me: this was real, this was us. I fell in love with Nisreen because we’re so much alike in the ways that matter. We both crave those long, deep conversations that go late into the night. We push each other intellectually, never settling for surface-level. We love the outdoors—camping under the stars, exploring new cities, getting lost just to find our way back together. But more than anything, I fell for her heart. She is the most caring, compassionate person I’ve ever known, and being around her makes me want to be a better person, and the man she deserves. When it came time to propose, there was only one place it could happen: that same pier at the pond in Memorial Park. On December 13th, I tricked her into wearing a dress by suggesting we go see the Houston Nutcracker, then detoured us to the park. Standing there on the pier, with the water reflecting the lights and everything feeling just like that first magical evening, I got down on one knee. She said yes. What started as skepticism about soulmates has become the clearest truth in my life: I had been searching for Nisreen this whole time, and just didn’t know it. My partner in every adventure, every deep talk, every quiet moment. I can’t wait to spend forever making more memories with her—clay disasters, park sunsets, and all. Here’s to us, forever and always.