On October 21st, 2017 I met the love of my life. The day started just like any other gameday in Lubbock, Texas. This one in particular my brother and I were preparing to host a tailgate party at our house. As people started arriving the fun began with all of your typical tailgate festivities including beer drinking, a table breaking, and Texas Tech losing in typical fashion. One thing about that day was different though. I was inside changing the channel or the music (who knows), when I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turn around and see the most beautiful girl. Before we even got to introductions she blurts out “What’s the wifi password? I need to watch the Longhorn game.” Of course, I provide the password being a good host. Then when we get into our introductions, I come to find out that she’s here for her medical school interview at Tech. She came to the tailgate with our mutual friends Nathan and Cassidy. I could instantly feel a connection and we hung out the entire day, talking as if we had known each other our whole lives...

As the next few weeks went on our conversations grew more frequent and longer in duration. One night in particular I remember I had a test the next morning and started facetiming her while I was studying. As the night went on it turned into more talking and less studying. It became our nightly routine for a while, talking to each other and both loving it. We planned our first weekend away together watching our two respective college teams play each other in Austin. That weekend is particularly special because not only did Texas Tech win in dramatic fashion, but on November 24, 2017 I told her that I loved her and asked her to be my girlfriend. The day I knew she was the one and that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her was a summer day in June, 2018. She had just finished her research technician job and was able to come spend 3 weeks with me and Brutus in Lubbock before starting medical school. We had the best month hanging out everyday after work and spending so much time together. This was the longest time we had ever spent together throughout our long-distance relationship up to that point. When it came time for her to leave and we said our goodbyes, I realized I never wanted to say goodbye like that again.

When I moved to Houston in the spring of 2021 to be with her, I began planning the next step. This step was asking the love of my life to marry me. I kind of knew where I would do it- she really loves hiking and the outdoors. One of her favorite spots in Austin is Mt. Bonnell. She took me there on one of our weekend trips and she always talked about going there when she was at UT. I had it all planned out. Our families were waiting at a brewery in downtown Austin. We had just finished brunch and I drove us out to Mt. Bonnell. We walked up the steps to the top and I found a quiet area where I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. If you ask one of us what was said I don’t think either of us fully remember… I told her how much I loved her, she said yes and the ring was on her finger all in a blur. The day was March 6th, 2021, the day my best friend said yes to spending the rest of her life with me.