April 23 will forever be a special day for me. Exactly ten years ago, Ryan asked me to be his girlfriend after being best friends for so long. There was quite some time where he just saw me only as a best friend, but as soon as I met him I knew I would eventually love him. As innocent and naive as I was at 15 years old, I’d go over his house nearly every day helping him with his homework, wearing my strawberry-kiwi lipsmackers hoping today would be the day he’d kiss me. In the past decade, we’ve grown a lot as people and even more importantly, as a couple. We’ve experienced deaths of family members, births of our adorable nephews, college, and careers and through it all have learned to communicate and love even more. I am incredibly proud to call Ryan my fiancee, because he is the most loving, caring, silly and selfless person I have ever met in my life. He has a great positive energy that instantly makes people feel at ease and I’m thankful that I will have him in my life forever. Next April 23, Ryan and I will (finally) become husband and wife. April 23 will forever be a special day for me.

(photo taken in central park right after he proposed!)