In late Spring of 2021 I started talking to an old friend of mine who I had not spoken to since I was around 8 years old. On June 5th, 2021 I received a random text from her asking me if I wanted to go out that night with her and a few of her friends. I was trying to go out more and meet new people at the time, so I said yes. We met up at her house first before heading to Beer Park in Rochester for the night, and she said more people will be meeting us there. We sat down at a table, and after a little while I hear someone’s voice behind me. He’s complaining about the security guard at the entrance who gave him a hard time with his I.D. I turn my head and immediately think to myself “wow, this guy is cute.” Its Michael. I remember going to play corn hole with my friend and letting her know that I thought Michael was cute. She told me she would tell him to step up his game. I laughed and thought to myself that I had no chance, but I was wrong. Throughout the rest of the night we talked, bonding over our love of cats. We went to a couple of different bars that night, and every time we went into our separate cars to drive someplace new, I would have the stupidest smile on my face with butterflies in my stomach, excited to get out of the car and see him again. We exchanged numbers that night and had our first date a few days later at UNOs, where we ordered the same meal, chicken parmesan. I think we both felt from the very beginning that this was different somehow. I remember Michael telling me on our very first date that he had never been able to hold a conversation so easily with anyone else like he could with me, and that he had never felt this way before.


There wasnt any one moment that made me know that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Michael, but many different moments. Like when we went to the planetarium to watch a light show, and I was secretly angry because we weren’t holding hands, and right at that moment he reached over and laid his hand out in front of me, and I grabbed it, like he somehow read my mind. Or on our trip to Las Vegas when I tripped and fell into a pool, and he immediately dove in after me and brought me over to the pool stairs to check and make sure that I was okay, and then slowly swam around the pool carrying me, asking me over and over again if I was alright.

I feel so lucky to be loved by Michael, and I cannot wait to start our lives together as Husband and Wife.

In early June of 2021, I was heading home from Erie PA, where I competed in an all-day powerlifting meet. On my way home, I was invited to go out with friends to Rochester Beer Park. I was extremely tired and normally would have said no, but I ended up going after being convinced. When I arrived, I saw a beautiful girl sitting with them and was a lot more excited to be there. I didnt talk to her directly at first, but eventually, when we decided to go to another bar, I started talking to her. We both found out that we absolutely loved cats and decided to exchange phone numbers. The rest is history.

I fell in love with the girl of my dreams and cannot believe that I get to marry her. I honestly feel like the luckiest guy in the world, because she loves me unconditionally and lets me know it each and every day. That day, I never would have thought that I would meet the girl that I was going to fall in love with and marry. Its so crazy to think about that day, and I am truly grateful that I said yes to going.