I will never forget the first time I laid eyes on Lucy. I was in second grade. She was in the middle of a fifth-grade basketball game, on the visiting team, shooting the ball through the air with perfect form. Swish. Suddenly, she turned around towards the bench with wide eyes and her hands over her mouth... As it turns out, her clinical jump shot had been targeted at the wrong basket. When I saw that girl again, save for a chance photo we were in together before her senior prom (see gallery), I was 24. My brother and I went to Franklin Hall in Washington D.C. to meet up with some friends and watch playoff football in January 2020. Funnily enough, I don’t remember the score to any of the games. What I do remember is talking with my future wife and feeling the rest of the world slip dutifully into the background. A few weeks later, we had our first date set up for a Friday night. On Tuesday, I looked at the calendar and realized that our first date was going to fall on Valentine’s Day. Lucy offered to reschedule if I thought it was weird. “I don’t think it’s weird,” I said. “I think it’s serendipitous.” I was right. From that night on, Lucy and I have been on an adventure. We got to know each others’ families as we spent time at our homes in D.C. during the pandemic. In 2022, we moved to L.A. and were enamored with the beach, the sunshine, and a little cat named Mizu. In October of that same year, opportunities spurred us to Nashville, and we’ve lived here happily ever since! Then in early August of 2023, Lucy asked me point blank if I was going to propose that month. Like any good fiancé-to-be, I lied to her face. “No - but it will be some time in the next 12 months.” Two weeks later in Chautauqua, New York, I was on one knee. And she said “Yes”! Lucy and I are so thrilled to have you in our lives, and to share our joy with you on our wedding day and beyond. We look forward to celebrating with you in August!