Our story is the classic med school love story! We first met during Meaghan’s first year at Duke and David’s third year, when he was a Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellow at the Divinity School. We first met at a backyard dinner, hosted by one of David’s professors, where we talked about bioethics and how to practice medicine well. Throughout that year, between writing papers and studying the Krebs cycle (the real Krebs cycle–the one where you learn it and then forget it and then have to learn it again), we both spent a lot of time at the FAH’s library, where a friendship quickly developed.

As the year went on, our paths continued to cross periodically at the medical school and the campus Catholic center. For a few months we struck up a playful back-and-forth on the somewhat obscure social media app BeReal. In another memorable interaction, David played the part of a waiter in a restaurant-themed murder mystery game, successfully deducing that Meaghan (playing the role of the suspicious sous chef) was the guilty party.

Our first date that spring was a sign of things to come. Loose plans to take a bike ride turned into a 30-mile adventure along the American Tobacco Trail. Not quite anticipating Meaghan’s cycling stamina, David dressed in khakis and a seersucker button down. Afterwards, we shared a roast chicken at Meaghan’s oh-so-charming apartment in the Dollar General parking lot, followed by making homemade strawberry rhubarb jam. We still have a jar saved! Seven hours after the date began, we knew something special was beginning.

Time passed quickly after that. Despite the constant hustle and bustle of our schoolwork, there always seemed to be enough time for dates to Two Roosters Ice Cream, weekend getaways to the Appalachian Trail, or just Kicking Back with our med school or Catholic center friends.

Another memorable (mis)adventure: in the spring of our first year together, we went backpacking in the beautiful Grayson Highlands in southwestern Virginia. There were thunderstorms in the forecast, and we saw many campers getting out of Dodge. But this was our only weekend available, so dang it, we were going camping. It was beautiful and warm in Durham by this time of year, but up at 5,000 ft., the weather quickly turned against us. Temps dropped into the 40s and the mountains were slashed with torrential rain. David was impressed by Meaghan’s perseverance through a heavy dose of “Type 2” fun. Since then, we have gone on to have many more memorable (and drier!) trips together – from Max Patch to the tidepools of the Oregon Coast, from the temperate rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula to the otherworldly hoodoos of Bryce Canyon.

After all of that exploring together–both local to Durham and in many national parks–we came to the conclusion that it might be nice to continue exploring the ups and downs of life at each other's sides. One Monday afternoon, David was suspiciously insistent on going for a walk in the Duke Gardens prior to his night shift and on the day Meaghan had a big experiment. In the early evening, we walked down to the Gardens from the hospital side of campus, David said some very sweet words, and all of a sudden there was a ring on Meaghan’s finger and some dear friends popped out from the flower bushes.

We are very much so looking forward to the adventures that life has in store for us next, paramount being our wedding day. We cannot wait to celebrate the start of our time as a married couple with our family and friends, and hope that you all can make it!