SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2019 – THE BEGINNING OF OUR LIFETIME TOGETHER

Josh and I met each other online, and after a few weeks of texting and snapchatting, we decided to plan our first date together.

September 14, 2019 started out as a typical day, and we both expected it to be a typical first date. What we had planned was getting brunch together and then walking around Oakland, the neighborhood in Pittsburgh where Josh lived as he was attending Pitt. What it turned into was a 12-hour-long date because we couldn’t stop talking and laughing and just enjoying our time together to even think about allowing it to come to an end!

Our date started with Josh taking the bus from the University of Pittsburgh to Duquesne to meet me for the first time in person. To say we were both nervous is an understatement, but we were nervous in a good way. Perhaps on some level we knew who we were about to meet for the first time!

The date ended up being perfect. After having brunch at The Porch, we walked around Oakland for a few hours, and then we spent the rest of the evening talking and watching movies. It was the most perfect first date - but both of our roommates were texting to make sure we were okay... especially after the 10-hour mark! We ended the night around midnight, when Josh took me back on the bus to Duquesne to make sure I arrived back at campus safely.

INSEPARABLE

After that first date, we couldn’t wait to see each other again. It was not long before we became inseparable. Our next few dates were just as memorable as the first one was - walking for hours downtown, through the Strip District, North Shore, and back to Duquesne; going to a Pirate's game; Fright Night at Kennywood with our friends; and SEVERAL Pitt Football games, just to name a few!

ENGAGEMENT

For my 22nd birthday, our friends from Altoona were coming in for the weekend. Since they would be there the day of my actual birthday, Josh and I had decided to get brunch before they arrived on Saturday. Of course, this all seemed a bit fishy to me, as Josh - a not very structured planner - would not budge on the time or place we would go for this brunch - The Porch (our first date). When we got there, we had a nice, and very quick, brunch together. At the end, Josh got up to “use the restroom” before we left. He was gone forEVER to stall… Upon leaving the restaurant, we walked over to Schenley Plaza, right in front of the Cathedral of Learning, where he got down on one knee and proposed. Though I had a feeling this was coming, I was SO excited.

After I said yes, I was very surprised to see most of our closest friends jump out from their hiding spots to congratulate us! Nicole (bridesmaid) and her fiance Fermin were taking a video of him proposing; Zack (groomsman) and Sean (best man) were taking photos, and were also the reason Josh HAD to stall, since they were running late; Heather (bridesmaid), her husband Tony, and Sidney (bridesmaid), Amy (maid of honor) and her fiance Weylin were also there to share one of the most exciting moments of our lives.

We then all walked together about a block to the bridge where Josh and I had walked over on our first date, and put a lock that Josh had engraved with the day we met (9.14.2019) to put onto the bridge. Of course then it was followed by MANY calls to family to tell everyone about the amazing news!

TOGETHER FOREVER

In the last few years, we have been able to experience SO MUCH together. We have traveled to 11 states (14 if you include traveling through), attended numerous concerts and football games, experienced a lot of “firsts” together, made so many memories, and moved across the country to Louisiana together. This last year in Louisiana gave us the perfect glimpse into what we have in store for our future, as we were able to create so many memories and meaningful friendships that we can only hope will last a lifetime. We got to truly experience the southern culture, everything from Mardi Gras and King Cakes, to eating crawfish and playing on the lake. We are so excited to start our next chapter, and cannot wait to see what life has in store for us.