How We Met

We first met in high school in Texas during one of our state standardized tests. I actually have no recollection of this, but Nathan has a very clear memory. I think I turned around and tried to say something funny but it didn't quite land (but obviously made a lasting first impression!) We had some mutual friends so we occasionally crossed paths, but we only stayed acquaintances in high school. We went on to go to different colleges and live in different cities until COVID-19 hit when we both moved back home temporarily. One of our mutual friends kept inviting a few of us to play tennis together but Nathan kept bailing until I finally directly asked him to go. After some coordination failures, we decided to get coffee together with the tennis group. Nathan and I were the first ones at the coffee shop, so we chatted a little by ourselves until the others showed up. Afterwards, I asked him to hang out separately and the rest was history. I think both of us knew this was it for us early on, but we wanted to still live our own separate lives before coming together. We did long distance, him in San Francisco and me in Chicago, for 2.5 years before moving to New York together in October 2023.

The Proposal

Nathan surprised me by flying me home and renting out the whole coffee shop we first met at. He had the place decorated with florals done by our mutual childhood friend (such a meaningful touch) and photographs of his favorite memories of us framed in the exact spot we first re-connected. Afterwards he put together a dinner with both of our families. The ring will forever be special to us not only because we designed it together, but because we got to design it with our favorite local jewelers in the first neighborhood we've lived in together!