Love Story
Do you get the reference?
Even though we started as “just friends” it soon became clear that we were meant to be so much than that. Our first, undeniable spark turned into a unique and wonderful bond that only soul mates can have.
JAJAJAJA, yeah right. Here is a third person's view written by us.
Sara and Sebastian met like any other modern-day couple… on a dating app! Sebastian was living in Nashville, Tennessee, in his final year of his Ph.D program at Vanderbilt University. Sara had moved to Nashville several months earlier to start her Master’s program at Vanderbilt. The app, Coffee Meets Bagel, had been recommended to Sara by a friend in her program who told her that it was the best place to meet smart grad students who were interested in relationships and not just a fling. Sara was sold! And after talking on the app for a few days, Sebastian made a move and they scheduled their first date in February 2016. The two met at a coffee shop near Vanderbilt’s campus, and after great conversation, they continued the date by strolling around campus. The most ironic part is that the date almost didn’t happen! Sara had a late night out with friends the previous night, and Sebastian was on a hike with friends that morning, got lost, and was running (literally, as he was lost in the woods, was he out of the woods?) late. Both Sara and Sebastian considered cancelling on each other, but they can probably both now say that they are glad they followed through.
The pair clicked pretty quickly. Sara knew that Sebastian was boyfriend-material when he talked about going to a Taylor Swift concert on their first date. He continued to impress her with his knowledge of Taylor Swift song lyrics, kind and giving heart, and goofy jokes. Sebastian introduced Sara to many fun things around Nashville. They had dates at the Grand Ol’ Opry, Arrington Vineyards, strolling cute neighborhoods, a Predators hockey game, and plenty of coffee shops. Unfortunately after 6 months together, Sebastian finished his PhD program and moved to Charlottesville, Virginia in August 2016. Sara and Sebastian alternated each month with traveling to Nashville and Charlottesville, and they spent many hours on Facetime. The next two years were spent 600 miles apart, but their relationship continued to grow and deepen. They spent their weekends together making the most out of the short time that they had.
In May 2018, Sara finished her program at Vanderbilt, found a job in Charlottesville, and moved to be with Sebastian. The two then began to navigate living together. Sara was able to travel with Sebastian to his hometown of Lima, Peru, where she got to more fully learn about his culture. While in Peru, the couple traveled to Cusco and Machu Picchu. Throughout their relationship, the couple was also lucky enough to travel to Montreal, South Carolina, Florida, many trips to the Midwest. One of their most memorable trips was to Spain in November 2019. Sebastian was in Spain for work and visiting friends, and Sara went to join him for the final week of his trip. They road tripped from Madrid to the northern coast of Spain, touring small fishing villages, going to museums, and tasting some of the best food and wine they’ve ever had. On one of the last days of the trip, Sara started to get a feeling that Sebastian was nervous about something. Was it a proposal? She wasn’t sure. But that day there was a huge storm in the coastal town they were visiting, and most of their plans were cancelled due to the torrential rain. Sara let the feeling pass and figured that it was just due to the bad weather.
One week after returning from Spain, Sebastian planned a date at a local vineyard in Charlottesville. While enjoying the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sebastian gave Sara a letter he had written while in Spain. The beautiful love letter ended with a proposal. Sara, while not exactly surprised, was still in shock. After shedding some (okay, a lot) of tears, Sara said “yes!” They were thrilled to share the news with family, but not before stopping at Taco Bell to celebrate. It turns out, Sebastian had been scheming about the proposal while in Spain, hence the funny feeling that Sara had.