MING:

These things happen when you least expect it.

I guess you could say I was somewhat of a skeptic. I never believed in love at first sight. Something so pure, so magical, so surreal, that it could only happen in a movie, right? Wrong. I am living proof. On December 15, 2022, my life changed forever. I met the love of my life, my soulmate, my fiancée, and every day since, the love that captivated me at that first sight has grown and increased immeasurably...

So, how did this happen?

It started at the gym, at the University of Maryland, during finals week. As a regular, I was caught off guard when I saw someone I had never seen before looking at me under the brim of her NASA hat behind just enough shadow that I could not judge her gaze. She noticed me, I noticed her.

Some time passed that night and I saw her again, though she did not see me, and I could not help my admiration. I strategically placed myself at the machine next to her and she took the bait. She asked me if I was using the machine she had been waiting for and I assured her that I wasn't. I asked her, "big NASA fan?", and she was. After convincing me she wasn't an astronaut, we chatted for what felt like an instant and an eternity. I left with her thoughts in my mind, her number in my phone, and an arrow through my heart.

The next day we saw each other again at the gym, this time arranged, and let me tell ya, the chemistry was there! I left knowing that this woman I met was unlike anyone I had met before. I remember so vividly visions of green lights flashing and voices saying "GO GO GO! Full speed ahead!".

Only one obstacle stood in the way of me pursuing this wonderful woman, she was days away from flying home to St. Louis for the two weeks of Christmas break. I knew I had to act quickly and decisively. So, the following morning, I offered her lunch. She refused, I insisted, she stood firm. I would have to wait.

Three days after our first acquaintance, Sunday December 18, 2022, I was at Barnes & Noble studying for a math final, but my thoughts were filled with her. It was then that I pulled out my phone and wrote the following note: I'm gonna marry her. I have no explanation other than a supernatural knowing, a certainty that the longing of a lifetime was fulfilled in this woman I barely knew.

That evening, while she was at the airport, I called her as she was waiting to board and asked her on a date. This time, she said yes, and within minutes of hanging up, I had tickets in hand to see the Washington Capitals the moment she returned.

I would say from that point the rest is history, but in truth, that "history" is only the beginning. The past roughly three years have helped me discover a greater capacity to love and be loved than I had ever imagined possible. God has blessed me so much with and through her, and, by the grace of God, we will continue to grow in love as we look to the future, in marriage.

From the first sight that first night, I was head over heels for Maddie, my Maddie.

M&M