My favorite song is “Bless the Broken Road.” I’ll take it in any form, by any artist. I first heard it when I was 18, and it instantly resonated with my faith in love. With the right person, the song says, love is inevitable, transcendent, majestic. I knew I wanted to find the kind of love that made everything that preceded it — “every long lost dream” — worth it.

A few years later, Ross and I met as awkward UT students when our roommates tried (and failed) to set us up on a double date. Neither of us remember much about this date — Ross didn’t even include it in his story! — and I think that’s telling. We were still finding ourselves and our voices, and as much as my heart was open to love, I don’t know if my mind was open enough to see all the possibilities.

As we entered into our mid-20s, Ross and I formed an unexpectedly deep friendship in Houston. It was built on a shared appreciation for the weird and beautiful nuances of life — we could talk for hours about things we observed in ourselves, in culture, in the people around us. Our connection led us several times to dating, but it didn’t work. He wasn’t ready, and I would later learn that I wasn’t ready either. We went our separate ways, and then we spent nearly 10 years apart.

At the start of that time, I struggled with both the immense loss of our friendship and comparing myself to other people. Everyone around me was moving forward with big life changes, it seemed, and I was standing still. Craving a shake-up, I took a leap of faith and moved to Doha, Qatar, for work.

The years that followed were filled with people and experiences that unlocked latent parts of me. There were trials, explorations, joys, moments of pure exhilaration, growth and more growth. I was only overseas for three years, but I never stopped seeking growth when I returned. Over the past few years specifically, I worked to build a deeper trust in myself and in my ability to create the life I want. I finally learned what it means to fully own — and love — my story, however different it may look from the people around me.

Ross says he won me back with his consistency, but that’s only part of the story. He won me back with his conviction in us, in how special we could be together as these different versions of ourselves. I couldn’t see the possibilities when we reconnected, but he could.

There’s a line in “Bless the Broken Road” that says, “I think about the years I spent just passing through / I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you.” Ross is my person, but the truth is that I wouldn’t give those 10 years back to him. That time, my broken road, is my gift. In the end, I didn’t just find a love that made every long lost dream worth it; I found a love that builds on everything that came before it, a love that thrives because of all that we became while we were apart. And yes, it’s transcendent and majestic. And it was inevitable.

With all of my heart I love this man, our story, and the ways we make each other better. We couldn’t be more grateful to celebrate this love with each of you on April 19!

Photos

Engagement Photos

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