I met Art for the very first time on October 30th, 2013. I know this because it was my first day at Emma, my first job out of college. I was blown away by how much he resembled Bill Hader, so much so that one of the first things I said to him (thinking he was actually the same age as me, 22, but assuming that he, too, was often mistaken for a college student) was "You look like Bill Hader's older brother!" Bill Hader is six years older than Art and I have never lived that down. Despite that, we quickly became good friends and bonded over alternative music, ping-pong, & rodent horror stories (I was dealing with an issue at my house.) But it wasn't until 3 years later, after a winding road of life circumstances, that Art admitted his feelings for me, and we started hanging out as more than friends. On one of our first "dates", Art invited me over for dinner, and when he pulled out the "bruschetta & mozzarella appetizer he had thrown together" I was SOLD! This is still our favorite way to spend the evening, and Art always cooks (thanks Libby!!) And the rest, as they say, is history. Well, not quite. We had our own tumultuous path to maneuver - breaking up for a while in 2017 - until I realized Art was truly the one I wanted to hang out with forever. As Rascal Flatts says, "God bless the broken road, that led me straight to you." *This is obviously the CliffNotes version and I will happily give you the Director's Cut of this story anytime!

I think Priya (and others) would say that I'm particular, and after months of ring searching -- and a few that got away -- I was definitely getting impatient. Then, early in October, a ring appeared that was more "Priya" than anything I'd seen before. I still had others in mind, but kept coming back to this one. It sparkled, it had colors, and it's a ring that just fit. It was Priya's ring. While I was searching for the ring, I also did a lot of thinking about what makes Priya happy. I knew that the most meaningful way I could make our engagement special was to make sure that Priya could celebrate with her siblings. Even though there's six of them, she's found a unique way to be close to each of them, and I really admire that. Thanksgiving, and the annual "Sibs and Sigs" family outing, seemed like the perfect opportunity. So, as Priya and Galina planned out a winery tour of Livermore, CA, I started planning the proposal. As the day neared, I spoke to Arja and Pushpan, told them about our love and our plans, and sent a text out to Priya's siblings to let them know It was happening. We set our for Livermore knowing the weather might not cooperate. As we went along the planned route, I was looking for the perfect time. But as it got later in the day and I started fretting, I remembered that I had everything I needed to make it perfect. I had Priya, I had people we love that love us, and I had the perfect ring. Neither of us remember the proposal perfectly, but we still remember it as perfect. The script I had put together in my head over the last few days turned into both of us being speechless, then Priya asking me if it was really happening, then me on one knee ... It wasn't until a few minutes after, right before we stepped in to see Tuppy sing some amazing 80s covers, that I was able to tell Priya all the things I wanted to earlier. Priya danced the night away with friends and family. She even got up on stage for a song!