It was the first day of medical school and a bright sunny day in Shockhoe bottom. I was planning on walking up to orientation with a friend who told me the morning of that another classmate wanted to walk up together. It was at the corner of 18th and Broad where we first met. I tried to get to know this guy, being as friendly as I could be, only to be met by dead air. I thought, well we probably won't be friends anyways. Interestingly, I saw him at Remnant, my church in Richmond, and realized he was Christian. Our paths crossed a lot more than I had anticipated. Two months into medical school, I was in the deep end, studying infectious diseases and had planned to go up to NOVA one Friday evening. I wanted to kill time and study at Ironclad, a coffee shop, but didn't want to be alone. I texted my girlfriend but she wasn't available at the time so instead, texted Aaron who lived nearby. The boy who never leaves his dungeon actually came to study and keep me company for a bit. We talked, laughed a lot, and hardly got any studying done. He insisted on walking me to my car in broad daylight and the rest is history!

In July 2018, I moved from a farm in South Florida to a "big" city (Richmond) to begin medical school. I found myself in a new city where I knew no one and could easily get lost if I left my apartment. On the first day of school, at the corner of 18th and Broad, I saw the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my life. The sun was shining radiantly upon her, birds were chirping in the distance, and I knew that I was about to meet my future wife. (Ok maybe I didn't know this, but her warm smile, beauty, and grace were clear to me). I thought the conversation went pretty well as we walked up the hill. I learned her name and avoided being run over by cars while crossing crosswalks. Only later did I learn that this conversation went better in my mind than in real life... Fast forward to March 2019. We were hiking Old Rag mountain the day after a small snow storm. If you've never hiked Old Rag before, it's more rock climbing/bouldering than actual hiking. It's a challenging hike on the nicest of days, so you can imagine how difficult it would be with an inch of slippery ice on every rock. I feared for my life on several occasions, slipping on ice inches from steep cliff faces. I watched in amazement as Joanna navigated each challenge we faced with equal parts confidence and careful consideration. We relied on each other to find secure footholds and pull each other up icy rock structures that we could otherwise never climb with our own strength. On this day I got a glimpse of the treasure I had found - someone who would stay by my side to overcome all of life's challenges - both big and small. That has proven true time and time again since that day and I am so humbled and thankful for this precious gift and God's grace in my life.