I met Amy in Atlanta at the KCYLNA Youth Summit, December 2011. It’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment we met during that event or our first conversation. We did take a picture together, which I later found was out of pity as she took one with all my other friends first LOL. First impression was she was super sweet, bubbly and a dime piece. After that event, we would periodically see each other over the years, always having good conversation. My inner shy and nerdy self never tried to pursue things during those early years, never even thought it was a possibility haha. Fast forward to December 2015 where I was now a member of the KCYLNA board and attending Summit 2015. Amy’s sister, Shelmy, happened to be a member of my group. Suffice to say a lot of interesting things happened at that event haha (IYKYK), one in particular leading Amy to message me on Facebook. Our conversation started casual, and seemed to come to an end after a few back and forths. Something prompted me to continue the conversation, first talking about her recent undergrad graduation. The conversation flourished from there. After about 2 months of sending paragraph length messages on FB messenger lol, I finally texted her for the first time on her 22nd birthday. Oblivious as I was initially, those early months of talking solidified a friendship that is the integral part of our relationship. I started to realize hints of her having feelings for me. When we finally crossed that bridge and admitted how we really felt, it was the kick in the butt I needed to finally be vulnerable. I asked her to be my girlfriend on our first date in NYC and now here we are, almost years later, planning our forever together. Moral of the stories, ladies don’t be afraid to make that first move 😂

Jake and I first met at the 2011 Atlanta Knanaya Summit. During that event, I mostly spent time with his cousins and friends and we just simply co-mingled. However, I will say I was VERY impressed with his kna rap remix using What’s My Name- Rihanna ft. Drake beat so he did leave a lasting impression especially with that voice crack LOL After summit, we parted ways, added each other on social media, and did not speak again till 2012 Florida convention. One of the nights we went out, someone tried to dance with me and I was visibly not interested so Jake decided to step in and casually get me out of the situation. Jake did not try to dance with me but instead we had a circle going with him, myself, and my cousin, Jason haha. Throughout the next several years, Jake and I continued to just see each other at these national youth and family Knanaya conventions.

Now fast forward to December 2015. Prior to my sister, Shelmy, going to the New Jersey Summit she learned about Jake, who at the time was on the KCYLNA board, and suggested him to me. I thought to myself, “Oh that’s weird, I’ve known him for 5 years and we’ve always been just friends so it would be random for us to somehow connect outside of a friendship.” I told her I wasn’t opposed to it but I wouldn’t have a chance to explore that till 2016 convention when we could maybe cross paths again. She seemed to agree with me in that moment, but really she had different plans. As she went to summit, her group leader ended up being Jake. She got to know him and really decided to push the idea of me ONTO him. After summit was over, my sister somehow convinced me to Facebook message him. I did not want to whatsoever, but she somehow always has a way to force me to do things I do not want to do. Jake and I talked just briefly about the recent summit, but our conversation quickly shifted when I learned Jake dropped off my cousins, Max and Apu, to the airport. We later learned my cousins were not on the same flight and instead at two whole different airports; I’ll let you all guess who caught their flight and who spent 12 additional hours at the airport. These little moments led to more conversations where we got to learn more about one another these next few months. Then in July 2016, Jake and I finally got to meet after 6 long months of talking, and we made it official and the rest is history.

Jake has been my biggest blessing. He came into my life when I least expected it. He has always taken care of me and made me feel safe and so loved. He continues to share his big heart not only with me, but all our family and friends. He has been my biggest supporter and he continues to help me grow by learning about the important things in life such as sports, Netflix shows, pop culture, TikTok trends, Breakfast Club, music lyrics, and most importantly WorldStar news hahahaa. In all seriousness, Jake, thank you for choosing me to become your wife. Thank you for accepting me for who I am. You always make me excited for the next day and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you!