How We Met Like any great modern love story, we met on a dating app. We were a 98% match (proof that the algo sometimes does work!). John messaged first, opening with a photo of his adorable and slightly fat cat, Houdini. As a fellow cat person, Lisa immediately considered this a green flag and the conversation took off from there. Our first date was on October 1, 2023 at Medici over a hot cup of coffee. Things felt easy right away, and a few days later John cooked Lisa his signature dish: spaghetti. It was delicious. Lisa admits she bombarded John with questions about family, marriage, and the future but thankfully John wasn’t scared off. Instead, they found they shared a lot in common in terms of values and what they wanted from life. One of our favorite early memories is from December, when we biked home at night hauling our very first Christmas tree. It was equal parts chaotic and hilarious. John looked like the Grinch hauling the giant tree, and Lisa couldn’t stop laughing when her Lime bike gave out halfway. It has since become one of our favorite holiday traditions! The Proposal John pulled off the ultimate surprise by coordinating with both our families to secretly come to Lucerne, Switzerland. Lisa had no clue what was coming. She was relaxing at the hotel the day of, nails undone and totally unbothered while John had secretly been meeting with the parents, texting back and forth, and had already asked them for their blessing. The proposal happened on the iconic Chapel Bridge, with snow gently falling and church bells ringing in the background all under the guise of a “photoshoot.” It was truly magical. John’s thoughtfulness, humor, and the sheer scale of the surprise perfectly capture who he is. Of course, Lisa said yes. Our Journey From navigating career milestones to negotiating household chores, from egg freezing treatments to unexpected cancer scares, we’ve faced it all together side by side. Along the way, we’ve traveled everywhere (from long road trips to Lufkin and Houston to memorable trips to Europe for vacation) and adopted another cat (Cannoli!). Through every twist and turn, we’ve found strength in each other’s support and encouragement. We truly couldn’t ask for a better partner for life.