Kalle and Ryan both went to high school at Hawken School in Gates Mills, OH and graduated in 2011. Of the 92 members of the class, Kalle and Ryan were some of the few who never really crossed paths. They were in sophomore PE together and Kalle thought Ryan was cute. Ryan doesn't remember Kalle being in that class at all. The two parted ways and eventually Kalle became a psychologist and Ryan became a psychiatrist. Both matched for internship and residency in Chicago in 2020, but their paths didn't cross again until 2022 when they recognized each other on Bumble. The rest is history! It was a long journey from 2007 to now, but it was worth the wait.

The first time Ryan asked me to meet up in person, he very specifically only asked to "hang out." I wasn't sure if this meant we were having a first date, if he wanted a fellow Ohio buddy in Chicago, or if he just wanted to collaborate on an empirical research paper as fellow mental health professionals. We met at a brewery, sat outside on the patio in mid-May when it was still chilly at night, and talked for four hours until close. We were both freezing but neither wanted to admit it. Our server kept asking if we wanted to order food but we were too distracted talking to look at the menu. I really hoped that I wasn't about to get friendzoned! Thankfully, the romantic feelings were mutual, and now we get to hang out forever!

Once the jeweler rang that the ring was ready, I began mentally going through the plans I’d made on how to propose to Kalle. The ring was made behind schedule, and Kalle was in considerable pain at this time while we waited for her hip surgery, so I was trying to figure out which one could work. In the end, I just couldn’t wait any longer not being engaged to her and decided to do it that night. Later on at home, I nervously tried to act normal, and got all of the parents on a FaceTime call. As Kalle was relaxing on the couch, I muted the parents and discreetly placed them so they could see the event. I can’t tell you much beyond that because I blacked out for parts of it due to nerves. What I can remember is fumbling the ring and my voice shaking as I asked her to be with me forever.