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Juan April. Juan was turning 30- that bittersweet milestone age. He was struggling with car troubles, feeling lonely, and with philosophical questions we all ask ourselves at that age. Never one to be stuck in a slump, he took himself on an impromptu Puerto Rico trip to celebrate his birthday on his own. There, he realized he was happiest when he lived in the moment without itinerary, and fixing only problems within his control. So, when he got back to Texas, he made two major decisions. First, rather than face the prospect of another Texas summer without A/C, it was time for a new car. Second, he would not actively search for someone to date, instead he would leave it up to chance. No itinerary, he thought, if it is meant to be it will happen. Nora May. Nora was in her 2nd year of graduate school and had just spent months preparing for the very stressful qualifying exam to officially be considered a PhD candidate. During those months, she only thought about her research and therefore had very little time to be social. Not an easy task. If you know Nora, you know she is always doing something or going somewhere, otherwise she was easily bored. Thus and finally! After passing her exam, Nora was ready and excited to reintegrate into society. Luckily, that summer was the Copa America Centenario tournament, perfect for getting out. So, she planned to meet with a friend to watch the Mexico vs Uruguay game that weekend at a local pub. In turn, her friend invited his soccer team mate Juan who would also enjoy watching Copa America. Sunday, June 5, 2016 Gameday. Nora and Juan were introduced at the pub. Juan with his new life “no itinerary” motto and Nora with her excitement to be social again. Instantly, she was intrigued by Juan but, he paid little attention to her and instead spent most of his time talking with their mutual friend about the game. Luckily, Nora was not easily discouraged. She knew one beauty of soccer was there are many games. Friday, June 17 Nora had learned from their first encounter that Juan was Colombian, so she kept track of Colombia’s team over the tournament. When Colombia made the quarterfinals against Peru, she invited people to a watch at a different pub betting that Juan would show up. Indeed, he did! This time, Nora made sure to get Juan’s attention through various conversation topics. By the end of the night, Juan was intrigued and asks for Nora’s number. Saturday, June 18 Now knowing Nora cheered for Mexico, Juan knew she would be out watching the Mexico vs Chile quarterfinal. He asked her casually, where the group was watching the game. Unfortunately, Mexico loses. Afraid Nora would no longer be interested in watching the tournament, Juan thought fast and asked her to meet him at the next Colombia semi-final game. Wednesday, June 22 Colombia vs Chile. Unfortunately, Colombia loses. Now with both teams out, Juan had to find a way to keep seeing Nora. She had mentioned she played trivia Tuesday nights with her science friends. So, he invited himself to her trivia night. Tuesday, June 28 At the end of trivia, Juan walked Nora to her car and (finally!) asked her for a formal date. Friday, July 1 Nora and Juan's first date was at the Dallas Arboretum “Garden Gigs”- a special summer event, where the gardens are opened in the evening with live music allowing guests to enjoy food trucks and wine. Sunday, July 3 Juan took Nora to a tapas restaurant before watching the 4th of July fireworks. During dinner, Juan built courage to directly ask Nora, “We’ve been seeing each other for a while and I want to know what we are doing here. I don’t want to date casually. So, let’s decide to either be a couple or to move on.” Nora enjoyed the directness and answered “I didn’t spend all this time going after you to just date casually, we are officially a couple.” The rest of the summer was spent with a mix of always doing something with no itinerary.

Spring 2020 Nora planned to graduate that Summer which meant she would move to a new city. Nudging would not work this time; it was time to be direct like Juan. After building some courage she sat Juan down and said "I'm moving to a new city after I graduate. If you want to come with me, I'm going to need something that tells me you are in it for the long run. If you don't want to propose, then we enjoy the little time we have left and part ways amicably." Juan knew he did not want to part ways but all he could say was he does not know where to start with rings. Not to worry, Nora decided a long time ago, she would pick out her own ring. Then, like everybody else, life was disrupted by the pandemic. Lockdown meant Juan was unable to plan something special so he delayed proposing, and Nora was unable to go to lab so she delayed graduating and moving. A year later, they reflected on how being around each other 24/7 felt easy. Even the unusual freeze in Feb 2021, where they were left without heat and power for days, did not crack them. Surely, they thought, if they felt at ease with each other during those defining relationship tests, then they can survive anything together. Later that year, Juan booked a 10-day trip to Paris, France for October 2021. Though Nora suspected this would be it, she did not know when he would propose. That did not stop her from guessing. Paris, France. October 2021. They strolled the streets viewing famous landmarks. Maybe he would propose in front of the Eiffel or Triumph arch? No. They visited the Louvre, could not get through it all in one day, but maybe he would propose in front of a famous painting. No Mona. They took a bike tour of the Latin quarters. Maybe he would propose on two wheels. No roll. They had a private wine tasting, maybe he would propose after they found the perfect wine? Nope, just empty glasses. They visited the Catacombs, 65 feet of subterranean intricately arranged skulls and bones. He better not propose here. They went to Disneyland Paris, maybe he would propose in this magical place? No magic. They enjoyed famous macarons, maybe he would propose by sneaking a ring in a pastry box? Nope. They went to Montmartre. Maybe he would propose in the location where her favorite film of all time was filmed? No gnome here. They went hunting for the best croissant on their way to Notre Dame. Maybe he would propose with buttery fingers? *sighs* Non. Finally Day 5, at night they strolled through one of the gardens popular for admiring the Eiffel tower lights. Juan began saying sweet words. Nora, eyes big, caught on but thought the mood was not quite right. They were surrounded by lots of loud people and vendors that spoiled any romantic aspect. Nora interrupts saying she’s tired and reminded him they have to wake up before dawn the next day. Juan understood and they left. Ring still in his pocket. Day 6, they took a 6am train to Versailles. Upon arrival, they picked up a baguette, wine, cheese and meats for a picnic later. On a bike tour, they rode through the bigger than expected grounds, learned 17th-18th century history, and picnicked by the lake. Lastly, the famous Palace of Versailles. By this time, the amount of history and opulence radiating from the palace made Nora forget about almost getting proposed to the night before. It was golden hour when they walk onto the gardens, the sunlight flooded the area with a beautiful golden glow. Juan offered to take pictures of Nora to capture the light. He snapped a couple of shots and said, "wait, something is missing." Confused, Nora looked down on herself to see what could be missing. He walked up, got down on one knee and said "Will you marry me?" and presented an elegant ring with the gemstone that caught her eye a year ago. He managed to do the impossible! Distract Nora, even for a brief moment, so that the expected proposal would be a surprise! The rest of the trip went as expected, except the desserts tasted sweeter.