April 2021, Lizz was finishing her final year of medical school while Michael had just moved from Singapore to Mexico City to start a new work assignment. They met in Vegas with Sam Aronson and Berryhill McCarty to celebrate Sam's birthday, a childhood friend of Michael and a Philly friend of Lizz. The trip was so excellent, the party planned to repeat the experience three weeks later, traveling around Mexico, where Lizz and Michael fell in love over swims in Oaxacan coves, sneaking into a bull ring under the San Miguel moon, and motorcycle rides along the dusty roads of Tulum. The day Lizz flew back to Philly from Mexico City, Michael went home, packed a bag, and under the pretense of visiting family in Philadelphia, decided to chase destiny. A month later, they moved in together in Old City. Their whirlwind romance solidified into a supportive partnership through the demanding hours of Lizz's surgical training and Michael's new job and leadership role.

Eight months after they started dating, Michael took Lizz to Argentina. On an afternoon in a Mendoza vineyard, they were taking turns reading short stories to each other when Lizz read a short rousing dreams about the future. Michael dropped to one knee and said, "I don't have a ring. I don't even have a speech. But I love you, and I can't wait any longer. Will you marry me?" With a blade of grass tied around her finger, Lizz said yes.