I tease Nina on occasion because she does not remember the actual first time we met. I put on my charm and totally swept her off her feet from the first moment we locked eyes...just kidding. It was a rather unremarkable first meeting, but I remember thinking Nina was pretty cool and wanted to get to know her better. This was just before summer break our freshman year, and we came back in the fall as sophomores ready to reconnect. We quickly became good friends, and by the end of that October we were already more than friends. We navigated game days, homework, and Covid with each other as our biggest supports. With a cross-country road trip as my send off after college graduation, we began long distance as I moved to Indiana and Nina returned to Ann Arbor to finish her masters. Eventually, Nina moved to Chicago, and both of us were out of our birth state and still far apart. Regular visits kept us going, but we longed to return to seeing each other more frequently. I eventually felt that the time was right, and on a trip to Boston and NYC in March of '23, I got down on one knee and asked Nina to marry me. She said yes and made me the happiest man in the world!

The first time I remember interacting with Charlie was at St. Mary Student Parish's dance formal in spring of 2018. It was hard to miss his very memorable dance moves (you will see what I mean at our reception). We went hammocking with friends at the Arb once before breaking for summer, and I remember talking with Charlie one on one and noting how much we had in common. When we came back in the fall of 2018, we quickly became good friends through singing together in the choir, attending Catholic parties at the house dubbed "the Monastery", and going to Michigan football games. It was late one night after a Michigan football game when I took the lead and asked Charlie if he wanted to become official, and the rest is history.

Five years and some months later, after 10+ apartments, internships, many new jobs, three years of long distance dating, moves to Indiana and Illinois and back again, a joint road trip across the country, and a million happy memories, Charlie asked me to marry him, and I said yes. I can't wait to celebrate our love story with all of you.