Aaron and I had met through our mutual friends of Sarah & Jacob Ruiz and Shawn & Susan Randall in August. Aaron plays bass in a band, and (as it has been told) Sarah would not stop talking about me to Aaron. Eventually, he asked for my number and a blessing from them to text me. At the time, I had just begun the Medical Assisting Certification Program (literally 3 weeks in) and I told Sarah I had no time to really devote to a relationship, and that this should probably wait. She insisted Aaron was just the right combination of gentleman, talent, and nerd, and that I should “just see what happens.” On September 11th, 2023, Aaron was given the approval to send his dating “hook” text, which read, “Hello there, is this the Starship Enterprise? I seem to have found a rare gem named Emily.” I went into Dr. Gerber’s office and immediately read it to him, where he told me to respond by saying, “Don’t you mean a Dilithium Crystal?” Sarah was on point in her description, and Aaron and I began our courtship.

He was (and is) the most supportive and spiritually strong man I had ever met. Even though I was going through school, which pushed me beyond what I knew I could do, Aaron was there the entire time. He always ensured that he would work around my schedule and we would always be able to make time for us. By October 13th, 2023, we were officially a couple, however, even at this time I knew Aaron would be the man I would marry… just saying.

By December 1st, he could read it all over my face, and asked me if I love him, which my response was, “I mean I hope that it’s okay?” I couldn’t hide how good he was to me, how our conversations were meaningful and affectionate, or how much I wanted to be apart of his daily life. He has been there for me spiritually, physically, and emotionally through school, graduation, becoming an adjunct professor, a car accident, and all the times where I felt that my ability to persevere was lost. Aaron is already a large portion of the foundation I began building my future on, and there is no one I would rather build a future with than him. So, by December of 2024, I moved in with Aaron, and we began the careful process of combining our fur-babies

Aaron and I were leaving a park for the night, when my nostalgia took over me. We were along a boardwalk, which reminded me of our first date at the Woodlands Waterway and I began telling him the story of our first moments together, when Aaron began referring to a scene from a movie Harry Potter. He said, “You remember that scene where Prof. Snape and that chick made an unbreakable vow? They put their hands together [and he motioned me to put my hand out] and they made a vow that could never be broken. I promise you Emily, to always love you.” I then said the same thing back to him, when he said, “I know it's my birthday, but I have something for you too.” And he gets down on one knee to open his backpack (at least that is what I assumed). Aaron then pulls out this remarkable ring. Other people leaving the park as well began to gather, and were saying, “Oh My God, he’s proposing…” Meanwhile, as I am in shock and disbelief, I was asking if this was real or if he was kidding. He asked me, “well, will you marry me?” And of course, I said yes