We're getting married!

I’m truly convinced that mine and Julia’s story started freshman year when I made a bet with her over a card trick and she lost. She says otherwise, but who would really admit to that ;). To be honest though, I first saw Julia out one night over the weekend while walking the streets of Norwood with some friends. I saw Julia with a group of her friends and I instantly became intrigued. We had a mutual friend and that’s how I ended up getting her number. I texted her, although I knew she was (kind of) talking to someone else but still asked if she wanted to hang out. I’m pretty sure I texted her 5 more times after that, simply begging her to go on a date with me. She finally agreed. We went for sushi and the rest is history as they say – kidding! I would say at this point in our college careers we weren’t exactly ready for a serious relationship as we were off and on throughout most of it. It wasn’t until senior year when Julia convinced me to get a dog (we weren’t even dating!) that we started to hang out much more. After that, we ended up hanging out almost every day of senior year and some days even skipping class to go to the dog park, or explore different places in Cincinnati. When graduation week came, I was thinking to myself that I couldn’t come to bear the idea of not seeing or being with Julia after college. She always made my days better and always put me in my place. She was my constant. I convinced her to give me a chance and thankfully she did- even after she found out I wanted to join the Navy. Now, instead of Cincinnati, Julia and I explore cities in California and we’re always looking for the next adventure together. Julia has made me a better man and she continues to amaze me and make me feel so blessed. Although our journey may not have begun like a fairy tale, I know we are destined for a story book ending.

I remember meeting Walker during our first week at Xavier. We were introduced through mutual friends, but once I realized he was from Kentucky, I thought it was best to distance myself lol. To be completely transparent, people from Chicago have some very INCORRECT assumptions about people from the south. Thankfully, I did get to know Walker freshman year and I learned that he was SUPER competitive, we shared the same sense of humor & adventure, and that I could just be myself with him - which can be hard when you're a freshman in college. Now, fast forward to second semester senior year. Walker and I had been in and out of each other's life but we reconnected over our dogs ;). First, it just seemed like we were having fun- trying out new restaurants & breweries & taking our dogs to the park together, but then things became serious. I realized this when a) he wanted to spend every day of Senior Week together & b) he asked what my family and I were doing after the graduation ceremony. I invited him to my best friends party, but honestly thought he would choose to go to his friends' party. I was both wrong and pleasantly surprised when I found that Walker had arrived with his family before me! Still, I was terrified. Introducing someone who 'might be' a boyfriend to my family isn't something I take lightly. Luckily, not only did our families get along, but we dominated the flip cup table! At this point in the night Walker's parents had left, but my mom asked if Walker, his sister, and her boyfriend (now hubby) wanted to join us for dinner. This felt like a good sign, except when we arrived at the restaurant my parents forced Walker to sit between them, my dad saying, "Walker! Sit right HERE, in between Mrs. Alvarado and myself". All Walker did was smile, laugh and handle it with grace, and I knew I'd found myself a keeper. To this day, Walker amazes me with how well he handles whatever life throws at him and its one of the many things I love about him.