Before we can talk about how we met, we have to talk about our dog (well, he was Nitya’s dog first). Having just started her first job out of grad school, Nitya was new to Chicago. While there were a lot of unknowns in her life at this time, one thing she did know was that she wanted a dog. She ended up getting an adorable corgi puppy and decided to name him Barney (unofficially, he is Barney the Pretty Boy Corgi) after having binge watched “How I Met Your Mother” (iykyk). She was excited to have a puppy and looked forward to exploring the city with him and going on adventures, but little did she know, this dog would be the reason she met her future husband. Michael, after recently dropping out of law school, was also in an era of new beginnings. To stay busy, meet different kinds of people, and get to hang out with dogs while figuring out what was next, he began dogsitting through an app called Rover. About a month into this little side hustle, he received a message from “Nitya H.” Looking for someone willing to take care of her stumpy little floof while she went to her office, Nitya had turned to a well known app (not for dating), Rover, where she came across a good fit for her rambunctious little corgi (and as she would say, an objectively handsome) petsitter named Michael. When we met on a particularly cold November day in the park outside Nitya’s apartment building, Lakeshore East Dog Park, she immediately noticed Michael’s attentiveness to Barney and knew he was obviously the one (to take care of Barney). After that first meeting, we quickly became friends. Neither of us particularly care for small talk, so the little pleasantries after she came home to Barney turned into conversations about everything and anything in our lives. We connected with ease and would talk for hours - all while just sitting on her apartment floor with Barney running back and forth. Looking back, we knew there was something special about this new friendship, but before we could do much about our undeniable connection, the pandemic hit and life went on pause. We finally reconnected in 2021, reveling in the freedoms of a post-pandemic life, we spent all of our time together walking around the city, going to new restaurants, and constantly learning something new about one another. After a coffee date on an unseasonably warm November morning that seamlessly turned into an impromptu all-day affair, we realized we might actually be dating. As we grew together, we discovered how well we complement one another in every part of life and both knew we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. Now, we can't wait for you to join us to celebrate our marriage!