Blake and I first met online, where our initial connection was brief and quickly faded. It wasnt until a year later, on New Year’s Eve 2020, that we talked again. However, neither of us remember that conversation, for reasons best left to imagination.

In January 2021, while I was on my first clinical rotation in Iowa, fate intervened. Blake swiped up on my story of Livy Ball, sparking a chance moment that rekindled our connection. Shout out to Livy for bringing us together!

The night before we were supposed to hang out for the first time, Blake called me. Nervous, I ignored his call until he texted me, explaining that he had meant to call. That broke the ice, and we ended up hanging out the second weekend of my clinical rotation. From then on, we spent every weekend together for the full eight weeks I was in Iowa.

When it was time for me to return to St. Louis to finish my schooling, we decided to give long distance a shot. It wasnt easy, but we made it work. Blake proved his commitment in many ways, one of the most touching being how he took in my dog, Koda, and loved him like his own while Kaiya and I completed my clinical rotations in different states.

In November 2022, we moved into our first home together, marking the end of our long-distance chapter. Shortly after, we decided to complete our little family for the time being by getting our little Bloom.

Looking back, its amazing to see how far weve come from that forgotten New Year’s Eve conversation to building a life and family together. I knew Blake was the one for me when he showed such love and care for Koda, and every day since has only reaffirmed that he’s my perfect match.