The year was 2014 and when I met Andy, finding love was quite literally the last thing on my mind. As I was spending a semester studying in Madrid, the main things on my mind were "which club are we going to tonight?" and "which city are we jetting off to this weekend?" I first met Andy on the Madrid Metro and spoke maybe two words to him. In fact, I believe it was just one word which was "hi." A couple of weeks later we struck up a friendship. Andy will never admit it now, but he was intrigued by my sense of humor and sarcastic charm. Fast forward a few more weeks and stronger feelings had developed but neither one of us knew whether or not to take the next step. This went on for a while until one day, Andy walked me home from class and we finally shared our first kiss. From there, we had a whirlwind Spanish romance that was inevitably cut short by the looming Summer. But once we were back at Syracuse University for our Fall semester, we picked up right where we left off and have been inseparable ever since. Love at first sight - Andy and I agree on how we met but will disagree for the rest of our lives on the first time we ever laid eyes on one another. Andy claims that on our first day in Spain, I spotted Andy and "did a double take." I, however, have no recollection of this and maintain the belief that the first time I ever saw him was on the Metro. Andy remembers everything about my outfit on that first day - from my hair accessory to the Starbucks drink in my hand. I love to think that maybe, just maybe, it was love at first sight (for him of course).

It is not easy to plan a surprise for Vanessa, who always seems to be fully aware of every situation. Vanessa was aware of my intention – we had discussed getting engaged, and she knew I was in the market for a diamond – but she couldn't zero in on when/how. That is, however, until I told her "I am taking you apple picking this year" – something that Vanessa plans for us year after year. Vanessa automatically knew something was wrong with this picture, but played it cool. I was so confident that I pulled one by her, that I did not consider she knew what was going on. Fast forward to October 10th, 2020. We are driving to the apple orchard, and I think Vanessa is in for the surprise of her life. I am only slightly nervous because I have prepared for this moment – the weather is great, my teeth are clean, I have a speech, etc. It wasn’t until I realized that Vanessa knows what is about to happen that I began to get quite nervous. I try to keep my cool, but I become increasingly more nervous with every step I take. We begin picking apples, but I am trying to find the perfect place to pop the question. I ask Vanessa several times if she thinks this is a nice spot (I know, not smooth), and she says “Yes” every time. I finally found the perfect spot. I get down on one knee and confess my uncontrollable love for Vanessa and present her with a ring. I was hoping for a maybe, but to my surprise, she said “Yes!”