Guilherme likes to remind me that we were meant for each other from the beginning of time, and that God planned our meeting perfectly. I don’t doubt that for a second. “Somehow I knew that free afternoon was special. I felt the Lord guiding me. Aside from the pool lounge DJ, it was an oddly quiet afternoon. I was accompanied by a few other scattered vacationers waiting for the beach sunset. Out of nowhere, this beautiful lady graciously walked by me and stopped at the bar. I remember her blue dress like it was yesterday. As she made her way to the beach, she gazed back. It that startled me. Thinking she was with her mother-in-law, I didn’t want to bother her. So I waited.” Since the Atlantis resort is nothing shy of a massive complex with overly excited kids running around a water park, I wanted to find a quiet place that afternoon. I picked up a colleague’s wife, and found a boutique hotel a mile or so down the road. We entered the pool lounge. While waiting for our Pina Coladas, I couldn’t help but notice a handsome man sitting alone in one of the lounges. I figured his wife was nearby -- after all, we were in the Bahamas. My friend and I made our way to the beach. A few hours later and as the sun was setting, we parted ways. It was then that I noticed he was still there and still solo. “I kept checking on her to be done with her visit. I didn’t want to risk not seeing her again, so I waited for a couple of hours. I remember her words as our paths crossed again. ‘Are you here alone?’ Jackpot! Turns out, we were both in the Bahamas for the same plastic surgery conference. We talked all the way back to the resort, shared a lot of stories that weekend, our friendship took off, and we became great admirers of each other.” Interestingly, we had been at the same annual conference every year for the past 4 years prior and had a few mutual friends, but this was the first time we had ever known of each other.

I had just made the move from Brazil to Pittsburgh in order to pursue a career and life in the U.S. Chelsea flew in from Dallas to help me get settled and unpack the boxes she sent for my new home. I had recently undergone ACL reconstruction on both knees, so I was still hobbling around on crutches. I took her to a timeless restaurant on top of Mount Washington, encased with glass and overlooking the 3 rivers and the city lights. At the table, crutches on one side and my love on the other, I unreservedly offered her a ring and my heart. Fireworks went off across the river, lighting up the sky and showing their reflection on the water. Chelsea accepted my offer of spending her life with me forever. I will never forget that evening.