We met at the very beginning of medical school, at the Duke Med orientation campout at Jordan Lake, and started falling for each other just one week later while out dancing and celebrating with our new classmates after our White Coat Ceremony.

First year of school together was a blast! We traveled on beach and ski trips with our new med school friends, explored Asheville and the North Carolina state fair, went to lots of Durham Bulls and Duke basketball games, and watched Duke not only beat UNC but go on the win the NCAA tournament!

Second year was much busier. We began our clinical rotations throughout the hospital, but still made time for dinner dates and study sessions at our favorite local coffee shops. We didn't have many rotations together, but frequently surprised each other with tasty treats and coffee pick-me-ups in our work rooms after long shifts or OR cases.

The beginning of third year was just as busy! In addition to moving in together, we were intensely studying for our first and most difficult board exams (Step 1). We studied together all day every day, but our stress was easily overcome by exercising, cooking, and laughing together. After 2 months of being together 24/7, studying for the most important test of our careers thus far, we had just fallen even more in love ❤️ We knew then that we were absolutely perfect for each other. We spent the rest of our MS3 year working on research projects, relaxing, traveling to St. Louis and New Jersey to visit family, and to Hawaii for some time in the sun! This year is fondly referred to as "MS-Free" at Duke Med.

In our fourth and final year of medical school, we hit the ground running, starting back on the wards with our sub-internships at Duke, followed by a month in St. Louis together with Dana's family for away rotations at WashU. During that month, David asked Dana's parents for their blessing to marry her. Although David was still waiting for the perfect ring before he officially proposed, we decided we wanted to get married this summer before our med school family dispersed across the country for residency training in only 8 short months, so we began planning our wedding!

After two weeks of rapid-fire planning, David left for an away rotation at UCSF, followed by more than 3 months of the two of us traveling cross-country to interview for Radiology and Orthopedic Surgery residencies. We were exhausted, and spent more time in airports and hotels than with each other, but couldn't help but have big smiles on our faces because we were counting down to the happiest day of our lives!

We ended up matching at Duke, and are thrilled to stick around for 5 more years and start our married life together in Durham!