We met for the first time at an NBA Finals Party close to my house. It was purely a hi and bye encounter that left me with only a vague memory of his name and thinking he was cute. I sincerely thought I'd never see him again. However, as God would have it, I ended up meeting him again after I moved back home after finishing my Bachelors. From there our friendship grew and we soon became great friends. -Alana

Initially, I wasn't focused on dating anyone, but as I was getting to know her in the summer of 2015, my mind completely changed. Her passion for God's word, her love for people, and her beautiful smile forever changed my mind. I knew she was planning to move to Washington DC for medical school after the summer, so with that changed mind - I made it my mission to stay connected to her when she moved away, and 8 months later, on March 18th 2016, we started dating by the fountains at University of Maryland College Park. -Michael

Alana and Sanquetta set up this mini road trip to Tampa from SoFlo for Thanksgiving break earlier in the year, and at first, I thought the trip was great for bonding because Alana and I would get a chance to spend time with my family in Tampa and we would spend time with our best friends for Thanksgiving. As I thought about the trip more, I thought this trip could be an opportunity for much more than bonding, especially since - I had already planned to purchase the engagement ring for Alana a couple months before the trip 😉 I made an executive decision to propose during the trip, and I came up with this WILD idea to serenade her before I proposed to her in Tampa, FL. I was so stinkin' nervous and excited at the same time! I spent countless hours trying to be the singer I never was - while at the same time, fighting to keep the proposal a secret. The proposal wasn't executed perfectly, but overall - it was fun and I can easily say, outside of becoming a Christian - hearing my gorgeous bride to be say "yes" on November 23rd 2018, was the best day of my life. -Michael