Alex and Jake met at Lawrence Technological University. Alex was on the Women's Basketball team while Jake was on the Men's Basketball team. Alex and Jake frequently saw each other as college athletes whether it be in the gym, in between classes, at the cafeteria or at the dorms. Jake and Alex had mutual friends and eventually grew to be very close. Over time they realized the connection that they both shared which resulted in becoming more than just friends.

My first impressions of Alex were quite standoffish. I was warned by my teammates that she wasn’t a girl to mess with and she had an intimidating look to her whenever I would see her working at the gym. Later that year I broke my foot and was on a scooter for the rest of the semester. This is when Alex and I really began to speak. She no longer just swiped my ID for the gym without saying a word. I think she started to speak to me because she could relate to my situation. The year before she was in the same scenario but healing from a torn ACL. From this point forward, I no longer saw that quiet, to herself, girl. Through mutual friends I started getting invited to events and movie nights where we slowly got to know one another.

At the time, I viewed her as a really caring friend who was free spirited, energetic and someone who always looked for the next adventure in life. Whenever there was an event, she invited me, and one event in particular is when everything changed!

Detroit has an event called the Noel Fest, which is a Christmas festival in the middle of the city with vendors, ice skating, and a bunch of bars. Alex invited me to come out and this was the most critical decision I have ever made. At the time the new Call of Duty videogame came out and I was really hesitant and wanted to stay in, but thankfully I made the right decision and tagged along. As we were driving into the city we saw a Dalmatian being walked. For those that don’t know Alex, if she sees a dog she must pet it no matter what. She got so excited when she saw the dog, so I opened the car door and said "let's go pet it!" This was the first time I was alone with Alex . We were going through the festival and she was over the moon. This is when I learned that Christmas was her favorite Holiday and she has an unhealthy obsession that I still deal with to this day.

Alex had the most beautiful smile on her face and this was when I realized that I might have feelings for her. Her excitement and passion for adventure and discovery was intoxicating. I felt so free and spontaneous when I was around her and I never realized it until this point. We were only planning to be out there for a few hours but we spent the entire night exploring and it is still one of my most favorite memories. Something clicked that night where I realized I had the most beautiful girl right in front of me and I didn’t want it to end.

From that night on we continued to spend more time together. We would go to each other's games, she would bring me food while I was in studio for several days in a row, and she would support me at my project critiques. She was always there for me and I for her. She opened a new perspective to my life that I never knew was possible.

I found my perfect woman, my forever partner in life.

The first encounter that I ever had with Jake was when he was on the Men's basketball team and he rolled into the gym on a scooter with a broken foot. I was working at the gym at the time and thought "Wow I feel so bad for this guy!" I proceeded to smile at him and asked him how he was doing. It seemed like Jake was shocked that I was talking to him which made me laugh. Little did I know... we would be dating a few years later.

Fast forward to my junior year, Jake and I became very close friends since we shared a mutual friend group. I remember thinking at the time how selfless and caring Jake was to everyone around him. Jake is the type of guy who will go above and beyond for his friends and loved ones and it shows! I knew I could count on Jake for absolutely anything and everything. At one point I even said to myself "I hope I find a great guy like Jake one day". I knew deep down that Jake and I had a special connection and that was very rare to have.

One evening in December I decided to ask a group of friends if they wanted to explore downtown Detroit to go ice skating at Campus Martius and check out the Noel fest. Jake decided to join us and we took an Uber downtown. Once we reached the downtown area, Jake pointed out an adorable dog and stated "Alex! Look! Let's go pet that dalmatian!" without hesitation I agreed and we both jumped out of the Uber to go pet the dog. I now realize how smart Jake was for this tactic because I will never pass up the opportunity to pet a pup! After we pet the dog, Jake asked if I wanted to check out the Noel fest with him and I agreed very excitedly. We spent the rest of the night getting to know one another on a deeper level and really connected that night. I tend to be more on the adventurous side and I loved how eager Jake was to explore with me. I think we adventured until 4am because we didn't want the night to end! And the rest is history!!!

This was the first night that I realized we could be more than just friends and I am so thankful he asked me to go pet the dalmatian that night. I never thought I would find a man who was as compassionate, hard working, and loving as Jake. I found my forever person!