Prior to dating, Gio and I had known each other for 3 years through co-ed recreational softball. Our families quickly became friends on and off the softball field. Everyone in our respective families was wary of our transition to dating. No one, including Gio and I, wanted us to ruin the relationship our families had. For that reason, I told Gio prior to dating, “If we do this, you have to marry me, because we cannot mess things up between our families,” to which, his response was, “Sounds good to me. Let’s not mess it up then.”

Our first date took place at Blue’s Sushi Sake Grill in Downtown Naperville. After a dinner full of awkward small talk, we realized that while we knew each other, we didn’t really 'know' each other. This realization didn’t scare us. We only became more eager to learn about one another, and looked forward to a lifetime together. We never feared messing things up after the first date; instead, we became excited for the lifetime of love and happiness ahead of us.

It was a chilly fall day. I had the ring for over a month, trying to find the right time. Sabrina and I always expressed the desire to walk around the Morton Arboretum and look at the trees. However, life always seemed to get in the way. I decided that today was going to be the day. In true Gio fashion, I texted my best friend, Matthew, last minute to ask him if he wanted to come to Morton Arboretum with Sabrina and I. I told him that “there may be a memorable moment you don’t want to miss”. He understood that I meant to propose to Sabrina that day, and he agreed to meet us there. After walking around, I started to realize that it was November, all the trees had already lost their leaves and looked terrible…except for a set of three trees, which we later discovered were Japanese maple trees. I pulled the old trick of “let’s take pictures” (if you know me, you know this is not something I would typically say, but Sabrina was none the wiser). After taking a few pictures, I dropped to one knee, and asked for Sabrina’s hand in marriage. She said yes, of course, which is why you all are reading this.