Sarah had almost entirely given up hope that she would ever meet someone she liked and loved enough to marry. She was set up by matchmakers on the Jewish matchmaking website SawYouAtSinai, by friends, but it just wasn't working out. After ten years of dating in the Modern Orthodox world and receiving over a thousand potential matches, Yosef made the big gesture and relocated from Houston to New York City so he could meet someone and not have to date long distance anymore. Irony of ironies, within a month of living in NYC, Yosef met Sarah, who lived in Ithaca, NY, four hours away. When Sarah saw Yosef's profile, she exclaimed, "He's perfect!" Yosef liked how direct Sarah was in her profile. They first spoke on the phone in May 2022. (Yosef took detailed notes and honestly, they're a pretty accurate picture of Sarah's interests and personality.) On the third phone call, we debated how to talk about different ways of being Jewish that felt authentic and respectful to the various ways people relate to their Judaism. Fun fact: the first gift Sarah gave Yosef was his own copy of the Jewish Study Bible, a version of Tanakh with academic commentaries. We met in person for the first time in June 2022. After a few months of figuring each other out, long bus rides to see each other, and writing syllabi of our interests and important books (it was Sarah, the academic, who wrote a syllabus to herself for Yosef), we were officially dating! Yosef proposed to Sarah at the Friends of the Library Book Sale in Ithaca, NY on May 17, 2023. Yosef found a copy of a favorite limerick book, whose pages randomly fell open to a limerick about a girl from Cornell, taped the engagement ring to the page next to the limerick, and gave the book to Sarah. Of course, and after some teary giggling, Sarah said Yes. Sarah's ring honors her beloved grandmother, Claire, by using a stone from Claire's engagement ring. In having a traditional Jewish ceremony and living our lives as Orthodox Jews, we hope to honor all our grandparents and their stories. Their commitment to Judaism has made us the Jews we are today. We love to explore neighborhoods and grocery stores together and buy spices and randomly kosher sauces. We love marking Jewish time together. Yosef has helped Sarah enjoy hosting Shabbat and holiday meals. Sarah has been trying to convince Yosef that he chooses recipes that are too complicated and can't we just have schnitzel and salatim? But seriously, our lives are enriched because we have each other, and the best stuff is better, the worst stuff is easier, and the boring stuff is fun when we're together. We can't wait to be married and to build a shared life. Thank you for being part of our story and for celebrating with us!