Love can be found in many ways. There’s love at first sight, love after being friends first, love when you least expect it, etc. Never in my life did I think I’d say that math is the reason we found love. It’s true, thanks to our good friends at Hinge.




Now there’s a quote that’s been around for years that says, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”. Most people attribute that quote to Wayne Gretzky, however I’d like to believe he got that from Scranton’s finest Michael Scott. Every day I thank my lucky stars that Lindsay took her shot and did not miss. She can proudly brag that she slid in my messages first, with the smooth message of “Go Cubs Go” over a photo of my White Sox days. Someone that bold, with a sense of humor, had to be someone special. I was immediately taken aback with her sheer beauty, and incredibly impressive journey as a medical student at the time. She was someone that was smart, beautiful, and driven to make a difference in world through medicine. I couldn’t wait to meet her in person after connecting. They said if you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans. No more than a day or two into connecting through Hinge, the global pandemic hit and we entered into unprecedented times.





As a steady theme with our relationship, we just went with the flow. After the hospital kicked out the medical students and I was sent to work from home, we both moved back home for the foreseeable future. We couldn’t get enough of getting to know each other through texting. There were a lot of late nights staying up texting paragraph after paragraph. Our first “date” consisted of a FaceTime call that lasted over 5 hours! She even missed watching Game of Thrones with her parents (shoutout to the Friedmans!). Due to the pandemic, we were not able to see each other in person for the first 3 months. For our second date, I had the brilliant idea to go with a mustache and when she laughed at that sight, I knew she was a keeper. We were only about a month into talking when I accidently blew our cover to her parents by sending her flowers at home. Poor Lindsay had to answer questions about some kid she had only know for a little while. I’d like to imagine the conversation went a bit like this: “Oh my gosh, those are the most beautiful flowers I’ve ever seen!! What absolute gem of a human sent those to you? I’ll tell you right now, you should marry that boy. He’s a gentleman and a scholar, and you would look incredible donning those black and white White Sox colors”.





Finally, after 3 months of Facetime dates and late-night texting, we decided to find a way to safely meet in person. We planned to meet at a Starbucks in the city, and then head back to cook dinner together. I made sure to get there early and wear my Sunday finest (khakis and a White Sox t-shirt). When I saw her in person for the first time walking down the street towards me, I knew. I knew right in that moment. The smile, the gorgeous blue eyes, the sundress, the trademark blonde curly hair, and capped off by an embrace that words can’t even describe. If you know Lindsay, you know her hugs are top notch. Now times that by 100, and you aren’t even close to what that hug was like in that moment.





Our first real date was that of a fairy tale. We had coffee while chatting, and eventually made our way back to Oak Park to cook dinner together. Lindsay is an incredible chef, and we had the most delicious Chicken Alfredo dish. I give her a hard time telling her that she tried to kill me that first date because it was about 100 degrees outside and the rich dish was heavy, but in truth I loved every second of it. The night was capped by what has been a Lindsay and Thomas tradition, playing cards.





The summer of 2020 was spent going back and forth between Oak Park and Lincoln Park. We played cards outside, went for walks, and enjoyed each other’s company. It was in the middle of June when I officially asked Lindsay to be my girlfriend. I wanted to play it cool, she was most likely thinking “what the heck is taking him so long to ask me”. June was the month of a lot of firsts. It was the first time we were back in the city, the first time we started hanging out regularly, and the first time we said I love you.





There are so many fun highlights from that first year of dating. From having Lindsay meet my family for the first time around her birthday and I bought a cake and made them sing Happy Birthday after Lindsay said not to put her at the center of attention. It was also the first time she met my nieces and nephews and instantly became their favorite person. All my years of hard work to be their favorite was unraveled in 15 minutes, and honestly, I can’t blame them. Lindsay is the best. Whether it was buying me a book about comedy because she knew it was my passion, dropping off bagels to me and Carlo after a night shift as a surprise, or a simple good morning text, she always knows how to make you feel like the most special person in the world. I got to meet her parents, and they could finally put a face to the name for the “Flower guy”. They even accepted me as a White Sox fan in their Cubs household. Although looking back, they probably saw back then I was going to be able to get through anything life throws at me because I’ve experienced enough agony being a Sox fan.





I am forever grateful for our unique start, because it allowed for the best relationship foundation. After a year of dating, we decided to move in together and start the next chapter of our relationship. Given both our crazy schedules, it was such a treat to start and end every day together. Some days, especially on night shifts, we may have seen each other for a total of 2 minutes as we both walked in and out the door. Those 2 minutes were always the highlight of my day.





If the walls could talk, they would have so many stories to tell about the 2 years living in Oak Park. Arguably the biggest story was being present for when Lindsay was accepted into the Rush Medical Center program for General Surgery. Her dream and journey towards making an impactful difference in saving lives was just getting started. After 2 years of living in Oak Park, Lindsay was accepted into the prestigious Cancer Fellowship at the NIH in Washington, DC. We packed our bags and started a new chapter on the East Coast. Not before our moving company was 2 weeks late, but that’s a story for another time.





We have loved every bit of living in Washington, DC and being on a new adventure. Now as I mentioned before, I knew very early on that Lindsay was The One. It was now time to make it official after 3 plus years (again, not great at making things official in a timely manner). I had planned for weeks to propose on December 17th. The universe does work in mysterious ways, because without knowing it, my brother also planned to propose to his then girlfriend the same day (same exact time!). I guess the Siwek boys just know a good proposal date when they see it.





When you have an incredibly brilliant partner, it’s hard to throw them off the trail. The “plan” was to be meeting up with friends to go to lunch. I had picked the Georgetown Canal because it is quintessential DC and is very picturesque. As we took a leisurely stroll down the canal, our photographer was camouflaged amongst some mannequins. From the moment I stopped and got down on one knee, we both blacked out. There was the big question somewhere in there and I think she said yes? We’ve kinda just made that assumption. It was perfect in every way. No amount of rain could ruin that moment, and it made for a cute photo with the umbrella proposal.




Now that we are engaged and prepping for our wedding, it has been an surreal to look back and relive our journey. This story of us is at most .01% of the full story. If I told just one Lindsay Story a day, I would need to be like a cat and have 9 lifetimes to even come close. Because the truth is, every day with her is like waking up and winning the lottery. The thoughtful things she does every day, little or big, make me the luckiest person to ever live. And that’s a fact. There have been lots of changes for the two of us over the years, and going with the flow has made it smooth sailing. From medical school to residency, to changing jobs, two moves and now planning a wedding halfway across the country, I couldn’t ask for a better partner in crime.




Now for those who’ve made it this far, I promised you at the very beginning proof opposites attract. So here are several ways to prove that: I’m a White Sox fan, she’s a fan of that other team (she made me include “Go Cubs Go” here). She likes Chipotle, I am obsessed with it. She is the voice of reason, I see what I can get away with. She still loves her grunge music, I play just about everything. She likes the apartment cold, I don’t like fighting hypothermia every day. She is fluent in medical lingo, I ask her to explain those things to me as if I was a 3rd grader.




We have the most important thing in common though, and that is that we love each other and can’t wait to celebrate the big day with all of you!