forever and ever.

Maddie's Take: It was August of 2014, and I was not looking to date anyone. I had just moved from LA to SLC for medical school, and I was pretty sad to be giving up my post-grad life for hitting the books in my hometown. The first time I spoke with Noah was at a bar with a few classmates during orientation week, but we only said hello briefly. Where we really met was in a freezing, windowless, cinderblock room--the University of Utah gross anatomy lab. In that room there was a metal table upon which lay--you guessed it--the woman who would officially introduce us. Both proud members of Lab Group #8, we quickly went from strangers to partners to best medical school friends. I look back on the 10 hours we spent each week in that smelly room with our cadaver, Beatrice, as some of my very favorite memories. I learned that Noah has the best sense of humor, coupled with the biggest heart and keenest wit. Within a few weeks I knew I had found someone who I wanted to be in my life for a very long time. Noah's Take: Like any great millennial love story, my first memory of Maddie was her Facebook profile. Coming into medical school, I could not have been more ready for a fresh start, so after joining our medical school class Facebook group, I eagerly looked at the profiles of my future classmates. I remember Maddie’s being the profile that really caught my attention. She was gorgeous, seemed to have a great sense of humor, and was someone I could not wait to meet. It was in the basement of anatomy lab where our story truly began over the cadaver that would later be our cat’s namesake. Our required 4 weekly hours of anatomy came to feel more like a gift than an imposition. We studied together, stressed together, failed together, and succeeded together. Her victories came to feel like my victories and vice versa. In a competitive atmosphere, we championed each other every step of the way, making me certain I wanted to take on the world with Maddie forever.

Noah's Take: We had been spending a ton of time together, between anatomy lab and studying for weekly tests at medical school. Maddie had been dropping hints that she was interested, but I didn't want to rush into anything until I was sure Maddie liked me back. Luckily, a medical school classmate (hi Alex!) told me that I should really just go for it. On a Friday night, Maddie had tickets to see Laverne Cox as part of the Utah LGBT week. I had no idea who that was, but I bought a ticket anyway. After the event, I strategically didn't have a ride, and so Maddie offered me a lift home. On the way, I asked if she was hungry, and suggested we grab a bite. We went to Beer Bar, and over fries and beers I officially asked Maddie out, and the rest is history.

Maddie's Take: I had always wanted to live in NYC at some point in my life, and so when it came time to interviewing and ranking programs for residency training, we knew NYC would have a spot near the top. When we opened our match day letters, we were overcome with emotion and joy to find out that we would be staying together to train at NYU/Bellevue for Emergency Medicine (me) and Anesthesiology (Noah). Moving across the country on a shoestring budget and securing housing in one of the toughest real estate markets was no small feat, but we made it! We have officially been New Yorkers for three years, and are looking forward to the rest of our four years here.

Noah's Take: I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Maddie long before I proposed. The very second I received my first residency paycheck, I started saving money and planning the proposal. My plan went through several plans but a few things I knew: I knew I wanted it to be quintessentially New York, I wanted it to be picturesque, and I wanted the ring to be her dream ring. Once I had saved up enough, I started designing her ring through a jewelry shop in Brooklyn I had known was her favorite for years. I designed the ring in the Spring of our intern year of residency; the only thing left to do before popping the question was asking for her family’s blessing. I chose a rare free weekend, made the best excuse I could think of, and secretly flew from NY to Salt Lake to talk to her family. I thought I played it cool, but apparently Maddie was highly suspicious and everyone else was on to me from the start. After a wonderful weekend with her family, I recruited Maddie’s friend Amanda to camp out near the Lake Viewing Area of the Rambles of Central Park, which was where I dropped to one knee and asked the question that would make me the luckiest fiance in the Big Apple.

Sun Valley, Idaho is a quaint mountain town in Idaho, and it's a place that is incredibly special to both of us. First of all, it's in Noah's home state of Idaho, and a place where he went several times as a kid for cello-related music events. Second of all, Maddie spent nearly every summer growing up visiting Sun Valley because it's where the Utah State Bar had their annual retreat for attorneys, and so it was the perfect excuse for a family vacation with some legal CLE credits built in for her dad. Before we were even thinking of getting engaged, we had talked about where we would like to get married, and we knew it had to be Sun Valley. This is a little town full of local bookstores, the place of Hemingway's grave, home to a coffee shop with muffins the size of your head, the most picturesque bike trail along the river, and fields of blooming wildflowers. We hope you love exploring it and see why we want to celebrate our marriage here! We envision our wedding as a joyous party with our favorite people--people helped mold us into the people we are and have supported our relationship over the years.