▽▽▽ It was the beginning of October 2016 and hurricane Matthew was a category 2 storm just off the coast of Jacksonville. We met on the dating app called Okay Cupid, and when you're alone, bored and stuck in doors for the impending storm, finding someone to talk to, to pass the time with, led us to each other. I came across Dan’s profile, and on first impressions alone I thought he was silly, cute, and had a kind face. So I messaged him. And after a few days of back and forth Dan agreed that once the storm had blown over that we would meet up for coffee. October 11th, the weather was showing the first signs of fall in Florida. The temp cool and humid with a gently breeze, and you could still smell the familiar scent of rain. Dan was sitting just outside the coffee shop wearing a purple shirt because I told him that was my favorite color. I saw him first, waiting, and watching the crowds of people roaming the town center. I was wearing a blue dress, because that was Dan’s favorite color, with tiny white flowers scattered across the fabric and a red trench coat. The connection was instant, and yes I was nervous but everything felt so easy and comfortable. Dan made me laugh, he was kind and gentle, and he made me feel safe to open up to him. Our first date lasted for hours, and all we did was talk, talk about everything. Dan told me that he knew I was different just by the way we held each other’s hands on that first date. Since that coffee date we’ve been pretty much inseparable for the past 7 years. As a couple we have had our ups and downs, but through it all we have learned how to compromise and grow with one another. We agree that we are stronger together, we are each other’s best friend, and our loyalty for one another is unwavering.

▽▽▽ It was really hard to pick only one of our favorite moments together, because there are so many. From our first helicopter ride in Hawaii, to purchasing our first pet together (Herschel the Hedgehog), to our road trip to see Dan’s grandma in Wisconsin and Dan "almost burning down her kitchen". We have traveled to over 10 countries together, eaten everything from truffle pasta in Rome to boiled pork knuckle in Munich. We have laughed together and cried together and lived every adventure that has been presented to us. Rebecca’s Favorite Moment: Florence, we decided to take a moment to ourselves and stepped away from the rest of the family to walk through the square in front of the Duomo. The sun had already set and the weather was perfect, and you can hear the cheers from the bars on every corner as people watched the FIFA world cup. We came across a vendor selling these little rubber band helicopters that lit up as they spun through the air. Dan bought us a couple and we spent a good hour shooting our little helicopters in the sky and watching them fall lazily back to earth. There was this feeling of being completely care free and like nothing mattered besides this small little moment in time. Dan’s Favorite Moment: Germany, we were taking a walk and exploring the tiny town we were staying in, Unterammergau. They have a street called Daniel Strauss and Rebecca took a picture of me underneath the sign. And just further down from that was the Sausage vending machine. We passed this vending machine twice before we decided we couldn’t pass it up a third time. The vending machine had all your normal assortments of brats and weisswursts. We thought it was magical, this vending machine in the middle of nowhere Germany. We vended a couple different sausages and a container of potato salad and brought it back to our Air BnB to cook it up and share with everyone.

▽▽▽ We were celebrating Rebecca’s Dad’s birthday, I had been trying to find the perfect time to ask him for permission to marry his daughter. We had just finished dinner and Benito was heading to the bathroom, and I followed after him. It was the first time all night that he was alone. I let him know that I would like to talk to him about something outside before he left. I’ll be honest it was hard to hold it together, and I cried. This was a big moment for me and I wanted Benito to know how much this meant to me. I told him, “You know Rebecca and I have been dating a long time and I love Rebecca so much, and I want to marry her.” And I told him my plans about proposing on our upcoming trip. Benito told me that he and Rebecca’s mom may not have been meant for each other, but he is happy that Rebecca and I found somebody that we can spend the rest of our lives with and that he was genuinely happy for us both. A few months later we headed to Canada. I had this ring on me the entire trip trying to find the perfect time to propose. The whole time I was trying to decide should I do it at this beautiful lake, should I do it on top of this mountain. I wanted to do it somewhere private but also a nice space. We were coming up on our last day in Vancouver, Canada, and it was now or never. That’s when I thought I had to do it at the botanical garden there would be plenty of places there. We had planned a trip as a group to visit Queen Elizabeth Park, and then take the short walk to the VanDusen Botanical Garden. Ironically we ran across two weddings that day. One at each location, it must have been a sign. At the VanDusen Botanical Garden they have this hedge maze. I quickly snapped a picture of it before we headed inside, and I though this is it, this is the place. And as soon as we walked into the maze, Rebecca took off running. I was able to catch up with her, and before I let her run off again I pretended to trip. That’s how I got her, with her concern for my wellbeing I took the opportunity to get on both knees and presented her the ring, and I finally got the chance to ask her the question I’ve been waiting months to ask her. “Will you marry me?” and she said “Yes!”