We had just made it official on December 30th, 2023! Cristian flew up to Maryland (where I was living at the time), and it was our first real stretch of quality time together as a couple. In just a few days, we packed in a lifetime of firsts: experiencing snow side by side, introducing Cristian to his new fur son, Maki, and eating, dancing, and laughing our way through Baltimore. Somewhere between the snowy walks, late-night laughs, and too many snacks, we realized we were really starting to fall in love.

We weren’t ready to call it quits on our time together just yet, so we both hopped on a flight back to Florida. Cristian wasted no time introducing me to one of his favorite artist, Quevedo—by taking me to a concert. As the music played and we laughed our way through the night, we realized we were really not excited about the whole goodbye part. Long-distance was going to be a struggle (major understatement). So, naturally, we went into full-on plotting mode—mapping out future trips and scheming ways to squeeze in as much quality time as possible.

Back together again so soon? You betcha! I flew down to Florida so we could spend our very first Valentine’s Day together. It was the perfect mix of romantic and ridiculous—because no matter how hard you try to be the picture of perfection for your new Valentine, life has a funny way of sneaking in a little chaos. Cue the unexpected wonkiness, the kind that leaves you crying with laughter instead of crying over roses. Honestly, it couldn’t have been more us.

Next up, it was Cristian’s turn to make the trip to Maryland! And this one was a big deal—I introduced him to some of my closest girlfriends and my parents. Total sink-or-swim moment…😂. Luckily, he swam! We also hit my old college stomping grounds - Ocean City, Maryland, and snuck in a day trip to DC—where Cristian spent most of the time insisting that literally everyone around us was a spy. (Spoiler: he may still believe this.)

Okay, so we’re fast-forwarding a bit here—but by this point, we’d made the big decision: long distance was out, full throttle was in. Five months of dating is totally long enough to move in together, right? (Don’t worry, our friends and family raised their eyebrows for you.) So I packed up all my belongings, grabbed Maki, Cristian flew to Maryland to meet us, and we made the 15-hour drive from Maryland to Florida, where I officially moved into Cristian’s apartment. But wait—theres more! Not long after the move, my brilliant fiancé graduated with his MBA (major proud partner moment). We celebrated at none other than The Addison, where his school hosted a graduation party. Little did we know we were actually stepping into our future wedding venue for the very first time!

Since we’d already decided to go full throttle with this whole ‘us’ thing, the obvious next step was… Europe, of course. Totally reasonable, right? This trip was extra special for me because visiting Europe had been a lifelong dream. We set sail on a cruise out of Venice, hopping our way through Santorini, Athens, Montenegro, and Croatia. Amongst jaw-dropping views, endless pasta, and blissful quality time, we started dipping our toes into the big conversations—our future life, the kids we hoped to have one day, and how we’d fit together as a true team instead of just two people in love. It felt like such a huge step… and honestly, the most exciting one yet.

You know us Floridians—we have to sneak in a Disney trip every now and then, it’s basically in the rule book. This one was extra special because we got to enjoy all the magic with my parents in tow… nothing says family bonding quite like sweating buckets together in the happiest place on earth.

Here we are in our natural habitat: cozy at home for the weekend, hanging out with our fur son, and fully decked out in Lakers gear. Since moving in together, we’d had plenty of fun nights out with friends, but honestly? Some of our favorite memories were the snuggly days in. Picture Cristian glued to whatever game was on while I did literally anything else (thank goodness for my Kindle, am I right?). Whatever the activity—or lack thereof—we were just happy to be in our little home, together, soaking up each other’s presence.

Is that an engagement ring on my finger?! 😱 Heck yes, it is! Let me set the scene...we were in Maryland for the holidays and my big 3-0. It was our very first holiday season together, and we’d been soaking up every cozy, family-filled moment. On the night of my birthday, we went out to dinner with my parents, my grandma (aka Pants), and two of my best girlfriends & their husbands. The food was amazing, the company was even better… and then dessert arrived. Except—plot twist—it wasn’t cake, it was a ring! Cristian got down on one knee right there at the table and asked me to spend forever with him. Easiest. Yes. Ever. Thus began the happy tears, the endless toasts, and, because the universe clearly loves good timing, a sky full of NYE fireworks to top it all off. I didn’t think it was possible to be that happy… but there we were, officially OFFICIAL, and finally able to say we get to be each other’s forever.

Right after we got engaged, we headed up to New York City for a triple celebration—newly engaged, my 30th birthday, and Cristian’s 29th just three days after mine. The trip was such a blast—it was just us and my parents (who, if you know them, are basically the two greatest humans alive). In just two nights we managed to see New York all decked out for the holidays, eat our weight in amazing food, and ring (pun absolutely intended) in Cristian’s birthday at the most delightfully chaotic little karaoke bar. We sang terribly, laughed endlessly, and definitely overstayed our welcome. Zero regrets.

At this point, you’re probably thinking, ‘Wow, it’s just one big thing after the next with these two!’ And… you wouldn’t be wrong. As much as we loved our little apartment—our very first home together—we knew it was time to level up. We dreamed of a house to truly call our own, where Maki could finally have the backyard we always knew he deserved (he could literally care less about it 😅), and plenty of room to grow our future little family. So, we became homeowners! In April, we officially moved into our very own new-construction home about an hour north of where we’d been living. Honestly, it feels like such a blessing—a place we worked our booties off for and a space where we can’t wait to create some of the best memories of our lives.

Wedding planning was officially in full swing, and we celebrated with our very first professional photoshoot together - our dreamy engagement shoot! (Yes, Maki made a star appearance—proof is in the photo gallery.) Around the same time, we were also settling into our new life in Port Saint Lucie—learning how to be homeowners, figuring out whose turn it was to unpack which box, and turning our house into a home. Safe to say, between the wedding planning and the home adventures, life was feeling pretty magical.