We technically “met” in college… if you can call standing near each other and never speaking a “meeting.” We were both on student council — very official, very important (read: a lot of pizza and barely making quorum). He was a lacrosse player turned coach, and I was an athletic training student who was constantly around athletes. Our paths crossed more times than we can count, but we never exchanged more than maybe a nod and some subtle side-eye. Fate was clearly working on a slow burn. Then came the pandemic (thanks, COVID), and we ended up working just a town apart. I was at an urgent care in Raritan, NJ, doing my best to swab half the state, and one day — in walks him. I saw his name pop up and, naturally, skipped the poor soul ahead of him just so I could swab him myself. Priorities. It was quick. Awkward small talk. Swab, done, bye. But the spark was lit. A few months later, he slid into my DMs with… a video of a giant praying mantis. Romantic, right? Honestly, we still don’t know why that was the move — but it worked. That weird bug started something beautiful, and we’ve been talking every day since. (Moral of the story: never underestimate the power of a well-timed insect.) On January 22, 2022, he asked me to be his girlfriend. He probably rehearsed the moment. I probably had already planned our future. Naturally, I said yes. Fast forward to August 9, 2023 — he asked me to be his wife. He had a whole plan. I cried. We celebrated. And yes, I said yes again. We may have taken the scenic route getting here — from unspoken college acquaintances to urgent care reunions and praying mantis DMs — but we wouldn’t change a thing. Our love story is a mix of timing, laughter, patience, and just a touch of swabbing someone out of order. And now, we get to keep writing it — together