Cayla and I first met at the VA hospital in Ann Arbor. She was on her medicine rotation, when I was a new nurse just three months into my job. We had exchanged small talk and then had bonded over our mutual love for Shinola watches. On her last day of the rotation, she got up the courage to give me her phone number. We went out for the first time two days later and enjoyed an evening over Spanish tapas. After that, the rest is history. We spent the bulk of Covid learning about each other, growing together, and going for walks at Bird Hills, our favorite park in Ann Arbor. We took trips up to Northern Michigan, Colorado to see her father, and an annual trip to the BrewDog hotel in Columbus. As Cayla progressed through medical school, we sat down and discussed the best option for her residency. We settled on Duke in Durham, NC and in the summer of 2022 we made the move down. I knew all along I was going to ask to marry her, I was just waiting for the right time. Less than a year later, during our annual pilgrimage to the Brewdog hotel on a trip back to Michigan, I finally did what I should have done long ago and asked Cayla to marry me. From our humble apartments in Ann Arbor to wherever life may take us, we’ve decided that this journey is one that we want to take together. We look forward to seeing you all at our wedding and enjoying our special day. - John