We met in the wild!

In the age of technology, with robots that can practically read your mind and dating apps that never stop serving you new people to swipe past, Julia and I met in the wild. A little place called Bar Louie.

My friend Jake (our Best Man) and I had started going there to talk about our futures and business ideas. We quickly became regulars. Week after week, nothing really noteworthy happened– until one night in May 2021. This time, someone new walked up to our table. Someone we hadn't seen before.

In typical Jake fashion, he talked her ear off. And she had a lot to say back! I jumped in here and there, but I found myself just watching her and listening. The more she talked, the more I learned about her. The more I learned, the more intrigued I was. She was intelligent, captivating, and had this radiant positive energy that was incredibly infectious and refreshing. I learned about her inspiring acting ambitions and her in-depth interest in history. I remember her telling us about her plans to quit and move to New York City to pursue her dreams, and all I could think was "let's go."

From that point on, I kept pestering Jake to go back with me, for quality boys time of course, but really hoping she'd be working. I was running a lot back then at night, and would make a point to pass the restaurant, hoping to run into her.

I knew pretty early on that Julia was dating someone at the time. I was being respectful and didn't have very high hopes, but that didn't stop me from thinking about her constantly. Life got busy and I didn't come in for a few weeks. Then one day, out of nowhere, my phone buzzed.

It was Julia.

I was speechless. I decided to play it super cool and… responded immediately. This was a high-stakes situation, okay?

Turns out she was newly single… and wanted to hang out with me. We ended up going to Top Golf so she could watch me embarrass myself. To me, it was our first date!

After dating for a bit, I just assumed we were boyfriend and girlfriend; because boy logic, right? Julia reminded me that this is not how anything works, because I had not actually asked her. A few logistical discussions later, we officially became a couple on December 31, 2021.

Ever since that day, we've been inseparable. Julia is the most thoughtful, genuine, and inspiring person I've been lucky enough to share space with. She makes the ordinary feel exciting and the impossible feel within reach. I knew early on that life was better and brighter with her in it, and I can't wait to spend forever building our life together.