I awoke to a frantic voice from my cousin Armando, “We are late! We are late!” and realized my intention of resting my eyes escalated to falling asleep. We were late to pick up my cousin Evelyn and her friend Stefanie from the Orlando airport. On the way to the airport, I wondered how the weekend would turn out… I had heard about Stefanie and was very much looking forward to meeting her in person. When I first saw her, I was immediately attracted to her and felt positive energy radiating from her, it was like nothing I’d experienced before. Her genuine positivity, kindness, optimism, charm and witty comments were not short-lived and continue to be part of her everyday.

That weekend in Cocoa Beach, FL we talked, we walked along the beach, we danced, and we even had to run away from beach patrol for being out too late on the beach. Such great memories from those first few days together. The following weekend I was meeting a group of friends in Colombia and I kept thinking about her. I decided to give her a call to see how she was doing. We talked for awhile and I felt the same way about her as I did when I first met her.

I knew meeting up again wouldn’t be easy since I was living in San Francisco and she was in Columbus. After lots of phone calls, we decided to meet in Denver and this became the first place we spent quality time together and went on a few dates. Colorado was special to us from the very beginning :)

Throughout the summer of 2018, we enjoyed a few more weekend getaways in amazing places like Napa and Carmel. Each time was better than the one before. In the Fall I returned to Bloomington, IN to finish my MBA program, which shortened the miles between us from 2,500 to 300. Most long distance relationships can become complicated but this was sooo natural and kept evolving into something more.

On a trip to Orlando in October 2018, we decided to make the commitment to each other and began our phase of boyfriend and girlfriend. What started as having fun and good times evolved into love and companionship. I trusted her with more than I ever trusted anyone else. I shared my fears, my goals and my views about everything and she always listened empathetically, never judging. Our partnership felt strong.

In June of 2019 we took a one month trip to Europe. This trip again exceeded my expectations. One month is a long time to be with someone every minute of the day, but I loved it. After this trip I knew she was the only person I’d want to spend the rest of my life with.

After our Eurotrip we continued the long distance relationship… this time I was in Chicago for work and Stefanie went to Denver to fulfill a life-long dream of living in the mountains. We made the most of the distance, flying monthly to see each other in our own fun and exciting cities.

In Fall 2020 I moved to Denver and we bought our first place together… sooo much fun. We spent that year snowboarding, skiing, hiking, camping and enjoying the Rocky Mountains with our best friends. Colorado is a special place to both of us and our mutual love for the outdoors is something we will cherish as we build our life together.

In 2021, we relocated to Boston for my job. We're soaking up all that New England has to offer while we plan our wedding and look forward to all that's ahead.

For New Years 2020, Diego & I were in Hocking Hills, Ohio with our families. We woke up in our cabin on NYE morning and Diego suggested we take a "Gratitude Hike." He wanted to sneak away from the rest of the gang and enjoy a special hike, taking time to chat about 2020 and all we were thankful for... the memories, the lessons, the highs, and the lows.

I loved this idea – and kept inviting our family members to join us... so Diego had to keep pulling them aside telling them to let us go solo. Looking back, this little anecdote makes me smile. We hiked Cantwell Cliffs and it was a little chilly, but so calming. Near the end of our hike, Diego asked if I wanted to stop and sit on a bench that was alone in the woods. As soon I sat down and saw the way he was looking at me – I knew it would be a moment I'd never forget.

When we got back to the cabins, our families were waiting for us with champagne, hugs, and lots of happy tears. It felt like a dream and I was so happy to have our loved ones there to celebrate. For the rest of our lives, the start of each new year will have extra special meaning to us. 🤍