Despite having many mutual friends and attending the same events throughout college, Herschel and I did not cross paths until our late 20s. I had actually seen in on dating apps and swiped left because of something so trivial – our height difference. He is 6 ft 4 and I am a mere 5 ft 2 on a good day. Despite this, things that are meant to be really do work out because it was not long before a mutual friend insisted we meet because he thought we would hit it off. One date led to another and six months later we decided to tell our families about one another. When we did, we found out that my dad and Herschel’s Uncle have been friends for 25 years. Most would be overjoyed to have a deep rooted connection between families – we just wanted to make sure we weren’t related. Spoiler alert – we are not. Jokes aside, timing is everything. Neither of us were ready for anything serious in the months prior to meeting. I was enjoying fun-employment and Herschel was enjoying being a bachelor. Perhaps life waited to introduce us to one another when we were each ready for something great.
Through CRNA school, the pandemic, long distance, and Herschel’s residency, it would be easy to assume the odds were against us. But with us it was always easy, simple, and fun. We bring out the best in each other and are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. 18 months into our relationship Herschel proposed on a rainy morning by a lily pond. There was not a big crowd, no big banner saying “will you marry me”. It was just us  – simple, light, and rooted in love. We were greeted by the love of both our families after the proposal. We loved celebrating the start to our next chapter with our closest friends and family in Austin, Texas.

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