Tyler initially messaged Drew online… such a millennial thing to do! Since that first message, Drew and Tyler hit it off discovering many shared interests, experiences, and goals. Tyler admitted one of his lifelong goals was to visit Australia, which led to Drew sharing every detail from his trip down under from the previous summer. After a week or two of Drew trying to “play hard to get", which Tyler saw right through, they both agreed to meet downtown. Tyler was out with his wild med school friends after finishing an exam and Drew was out his friends. Although last call was approaching, we were still able to meet up at the Dubliner Pub. Tyler, surrounded by high-energy, crazy medical students, initially shielded him from Drew, but he finally spotted Tyler at the bar. Tyler's friends welcomed Drew and his crew with open arms (one of Tyler's classmates even tried to snag Drew for herself before realizing he was there to meet Tyler). Although last call had already been called, Tyler used his persuasive nature to order some brewskys for Drew and his friends. We spent the rest of the night sharing laughs and getting to know one another. When it was finally time to call it a night, Drew pleaded for Tyler to come home with him while yelling from the side of an Uber. Although Tyler knew he really enjoyed meeting and talking to Drew, he decided to go home and catch up on some much needed sleep (which turned out to definitely be the smart decision as Drew ended up spending much of the night sleeping near a toilet). After such a fun evening, Drew and Tyler continued to text more and more prompting Drew to ask Tyler out on an official date!
Our first official date was at a vegan restaurant of all places appropriately titled, Modern Love. Here, Drew still would not stop talking about Australia and himself; however, Tyler was able to sneak in a word or two as well. Modern Love was still a new restaurant and did not have their liquor license just yet, but they did allow you to bring your own beer. Tyler picked up some of his favorite beer and met Drew in a small corner of the crowded restaurant. We continued to share stories and get to know each other more and more. After spending a few hours chatting, Drew scared off the rest of the customers with his loud and rambunctious method for telling stories. We took our cue and got ready to leave. With leftovers in one hand, keys in the other, we exchanged a very awkward hug in the parking lot before heading our separate ways.
Tyler was beginning the second semester of his medical school career which one can assume (and now as Drew has witnessed firsthand) is no easy feat! Despite the never-ending pressure to study, Tyler frequently reminded Drew he was “a scheduling pro” and many future dates and meetings of each other’s friends ensued. Drew also tried to help Tyler study from time to time over the next few weeks except after about the 100th time of Drew mispronouncing a term, Tyler politely asked that Drew no longer try to “help”.
These dates subsequently led Tyler to nonchalantly ask Drew to officially date on February 15th, 2015 at Drew’s house. After much consideration (kidding), Drew said yes. Drew, not wanting to look overtly eager, bit his tongue from saying the “L word” for a day or two before he could no longer hold it and blurted out “I LOVE YOU!” in the most romantic of places, the bathroom of the 52nd Street House. This was just in the nick of time as Tyler also had to muster up enough courage to ask Drew to Med Prom a few weeks later.
Time continued to fly and Tyler found himself in his fourth year of medical school. An important part of fourth year, is traveling around the US interviewing at potential residency locations. Although Drew was in his final semester of graduate school and busy with work, he was able to travel to Chicago with Tyler to join him for one of his interviews. The location worked out well in many other regards including catching up with friends and family! We stayed with Drew’s previous boss, turned friend, who greatly assisted in Drew’s proposal along with our friend Jon. Drew, Jon, and Ena worked together to plan a surprise proposal on Cindy’s Rooftop overlooking Millennium Park. There were only a few minor mishaps due to Drew’s chronic tardiness and Chicago traffic; however, it all worked out as Tyler said yes on November 11th, 2017! We were able to celebrate with brunch surrounded by champagne, hefty quantities of food, and several friends!
Tyler was full of surprises this December! Not only did he trick Drew into thinking he would not be able to come to Florida for Christmas with Drew’s family, he was also planning a proposal of his own! Tyler surprised Drew with the only gift Drew had asked for late Christmas Eve, a plane ticket for him to come to Florida! The celebration was temporarily suspended as Tyler had to get up in three hours in order to catch his 5:30AM flight. Sticking with the flight theme, only moments before Drew was about to reluctantly take Tyler to the airport for his flight home, Tyler got down on one knee in the front yard of Drew’s grandparents house. Tyler acknowledged that many items were already set for our May 12th, 2018 date (although our wedding planner would probably disagree), but found it important to officially ask Drew to marry him as well. Drew yelled “Sure!” in the goofiest and most obnoxious way he can, but deep down was ecstatic as he loves his grandparent’s waterfront property and could not be happier to add another special memory!