We're getting married!

We met in a tiny city, Lowell, MA, while working at the same youth center! It was a Monday morning at 9am; “Eye of the Tiger” was blaring through the youth center’s speakers to start the day. Staff and youth met in the gym, as we gathered in a large circle to start the morning activity, of course, led by Denzel that day. As Denzel greeted each person with smiles and high-fives, love at first sight struck when he saw a new staff member - it was Ale. In an immediate display of romance…he awkwardly skipped past her and said nothing, ignoring her. Smooth move! Despite the terrible first impression, Ale didn’t give up on him. After plenty of talking, work lunches, and hidden dates (side note: we weren't supposed to date since we were co-workers) we decided to make it official.

After 5 years in CA and midway through the pandemic, we moved back to Massachusetts in late 2020. With a ring in his pocket, and no concrete plan, Denzel told himself to feel out the best moment to propose. In Spring of 2021, we started our house buying journey and found our new place in June. The morning of July 30th, 2021, we closed on our home and were handed the keys. We stood in our living room exhausted but excited about our future. At that moment, Denzel asked Ale to take a candid photo of her looking out at the backyard patio. Though she thought it was awkward, she went along with it. When Denzel took forever to take a photo, she turned around to find him on one knee. Without hesitation, Ale said YES!