Our story is not exactly the epic love story you would find in a Nicholas Sparks novel. There was no "love at first sight" nor a "when she smiled at me I knew we would be together forever" moment. Our love story is more about how two strangers became colleagues, formed an unlikely friendship, and somehow fell in love without realizing it.

It all began September of 2008 at the Pennsylvania State University. I was an eager sophomore looking to gain some research experience and Erhan was a graduate student dreading the day he'd be assigned yet another annoying undergrad. Our first introduction lasted less than 60 seconds and consisted only of "hello" and "goodbye". However, over the next few months, as Erhan started to guide me through my lab work, we also started to learn more and more about each other. It was clear through our sarcastic banter that we shared the same taste in humor. Through our shared stories we noted how our easily our personalities clicked. And through our discussions about the future, we saw how our life ambitions and aspirations meshed. Over the next several months, a real friendship started to form.

As spring became summer, and the time we spent together grew, it became apparent that our friendship was developing into something more. After spending the summer together we decided to take a trip to somewhere neither of us had ever been: Puerto Rico. There, on August 16th, 2009, we officially took on the title of girlfriend and boyfriend. 

In the following fall of 2010, Erhan defended his PhD and accepted a job offer in Boston with Novartis. Since I still had a year left in undergrad and was unsure where I would end up for graduate school, we decided mutually to part as just friends. That didn’t last long though; within just a few months it became apparent how much our relationship meant to each other. By the third month apart, we started making plans to see each other and for New Years, Erhan surprised me with an unannounced visit to Pittsburgh. Soon after I was accepted into Tufts University's graduate program and by April 2011 we decided to move in together!

After 8 months forming a new life together in Boston, on February 17th 2012, Erhan suggested we play hooky from work and enjoy a day walking around our new home city. After brunch at the Beacon Hill Hotel, we strolled over to Acorn Street, where Erhan turned to me and started telling me how much he loved me. To be honest, I can’t remember all that he said because I knew at that point it was coming; he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! After ecstatically saying yes, we stepped into Starbucks to warm up when Erhan revealed that we would be celebrating our engagement by going back to where it all formally started: Puerto Rico. And the rest, as they say, is history! :)