Love Story

David and I met when we were 8 years old. We were both in a "gifted and talented" program at our respective elementary schools so once a week we would travel to another school in the county and learn fun things. He claims he remembers the first time I smiled at him, but all I remember is that he was one of the funny kids who wore weird hats.

At age 11 David started to take piano lessons from my piano teacher. She was a wise woman, and thought David and I would be a perfect match. So she started to seat us next to one another at recitals. Thus, once a year for 4 years David and I flirted through piano performances, passing notes and trying not to laugh. We were both kind of shy, but each of us definitely had a crush on the other.

During my sophomore year of high school I went to a leadership retreat (this story is really highlighting what a nerd I was), and I met someone from David's high school and we hit it off as friends. His name was Matt and we hung out that day though all of the activities. At the end of the retreat I asked him if he knew David, and he said he did. I told him to tell David that I said hi and Matt and I exchanged AIM screen names (now I feel old), and that was the end of it. However, Matt also had David's screen name, so soon enough David and I were chatting online and then we went on our first date.

On May 26, 2003 David asked me to be his girlfriend while we were on top of the Eiffel Tower at Kings Island Amusement Park. I agreed, but little did I know what I was getting myself into. At 16 years of age we were in love, and during high school we talked a few times a week, chatted online and tried to see each other during our weekends that were packed full of soccer tournaments and dance competitions. We went to dances together, watched scary movies, played frisbee golf and hung out with friends.

 

As decisions about college loomed overhead we both started to question how serious this was. David had always had his mind set on UK, and mine was always set dead against it and I think that both of us knew we didn't want to do a long distance relationship. We went into the college search independently of one another; not sharing our preferences or inclinations after each visit. In the end we both fell in love with UK and so we decided we would stay together as we began this new journey.

College was a time of pushing and pulling for David and I. I was terribly homesick, so some days I clung to him as if he were the only thing that could save me. Other days I wanted to take full advantage of this new opportunity, so I would dive into my classwork or activities with new friends. The pulling won out at the end of my freshman year - I decided I was going to spend 5 months in Chile at the beginning of sophomore year so on July 22, 2006 I boarded a plane for the unknown. Even though being in Chile was the hardest thing I have ever done it was great for David and I. We were still committed to each other, but at the same time we had a chance to get some space to to grow a lot as individuals. I came back even more sure of my feelings for him and I was starting to think that this could really work long term.

I tested our relationship again the summer after Junior year when I went to Cornell for a summer full of math research. At this point being apart was very painful, but again, the space was good for each of us and David came to visit there too!

When I returned from Cornell David and I were both ready to commit to each other forever. He proposed on October 4, 2008, the day that he took his LSAT!

We planned a wedding, applied to grad school, finished up college and then on May 25, 2009 (almost 6 years after we started dating) got married. A perfect end, and a beautiful beginning to our love story.