It started in 2016 when I met Robin at a friends wedding, and I’m using the term “met” loosely. After very confident first impression, I didn’t really care to meet him anymore. I saw him leaving work while holding a briefcase before seeing him at a birthday party later that night. The first thing I said to him was, “Who carries a briefcase anymore?” He immediately laughed and tried defending his answer, to which he failed. Shortly after on a weekend trip, we took each other by surprise when we both unexpectedly showed up. However, during that time, I saw that behind his tough exterior, he was actually very caring and thoughtful – especially to a group of people he hadn’t known for very long. So with a friend’s last minute suggestion, we went to dinner and had such a great time. We then officially went to the National Harbor, where we connected even more and I realized that I could be myself around him. After his multiple attempts and my skepticism, I couldn’t deny the chemistry. So after I won in a game of Scrabble, I agreed to go out with him. Robin challenges me to do and be better, even in my life of faith, and I’m very thankful for him balancing me. Just like any relationship, we’ve had our share of ups and downs coming from different backgrounds and families. However, through the last 4 years, our love for each other and for God has grown and continues to do so. I’ve never been more excited to take the next step in our journey!
Let’s rewind to mid-2016. It all began when one of our mutual friends created a Facebook event to figure out the proper headcount for his upcoming wedding. Sharon and I did not have plus ones and he made sure both of us, as well as all of our friends, knew we were coming as singles. I’ll admit, afterwards, I did stalk Sharon’s Facebook profile and was caught by her beautiful smile. Although I sat at Sharon’s table during the wedding reception, we did not speak — a story for another night.
Forward a few months later in 2016, I was leaving my office to catch the metro to attend a friend’s birthday. Whether it’s fate or destiny or just sheer chance, Sharon was on the other side of the road and we crossed paths unexpectedly. The night went on, and Sharon showed up to the mutual friend’s birthday party as well. At that point, I was heading out and waiting on my Uber. Sharon was kind enough to wait with me until the driver showed up. One Uber cancels then another and another. Sharon waited the entire time. Now mind you, we really didn’t speak as much so for her to wait around just showed me the kind of genuine person she was.
In early 2017, I tagged along with the same friend to a friend’s weekend getaway trip to Deep Creek. I walked through the door, carrying several bags, and was greeted by Sharon’s cold “hey”; after which, she turned the shoulder and paid no attention. The night carried on, and we hit it off. The connection was surreal during the entire weekend. She was like unlike any other girl — shining personality, great sense of humor and feisty.
We connected once we were back in town since I had accidentally forgotten my wallet at the cabin. As a thank you, we went to dinner at La Tasca in Rockville, and before parting ways, I mustered up the courage to officially ask her out for our first date. Fast forward to today, the last four years have been amazing. She definitely made sure she always kept me chasing and looking back, I would’ve had it no other way.
We went to Estuary in Washington, D.C. to celebrate our anniversary. Little did Sharon know, some of our very close family and friends were waiting for us to arrive around 9:00 PM at the rooftop of The Hepburn.
After a delicious dinner and amazing conversations, we made our way over. I had to tell Sharon that we were making a quick detour so I could drop off some important items to a co-worker. We had arrived! I was frantically looking around as we made our way to the elevators, while trying to be normal, to make sure we did not run into anyone we knew.
I had requested the rooftop for our exclusive use. Luckily, the team on site had finished decorating the space before we arrived. We spent some time taking in the panoramic views of Washington, D.C. until I caught a glimpse of the elevator opening with our family and friends. At that point, I walked Sharon towards the waterfall canopy – she still had no idea what was happening. There was a large bouquet of flowers for her next to two chairs, and I panicked thinking she must’ve caught on by now. I took a firm grip of her hands, looked into her eyes, smiled, and started going down on one knee. As I looked up, I could see her in complete shock and disbelief with happy tears.
She said yes! What began as a simple dinner, ended with us being engaged.