How we met
“…I think we just needed each other at that time, and it seems that we have needed each other since.” - Gabby
Anthony and I have known each other since we were 16. We both went to Antonian College Preparatory High School and ran in similar circles but never talked outside of Latin club activities. We were both very good at Latin, and I now have a tattoo in Latin as well as a degree in Ancient History (that I have never used). We graduated from high school in May 2011. In fall of 2012, after finishing his first year of college at UTSA, Anthony made it over to UT Austin, where we recognized each other in Jester Hall while passing each other. I can’t really remember why, but we started texting each other pretty much right away. I think it was apparent to both of us that we were interested in each other from the beginning but were not officially together until around June of 2014. Around this time, Anthony’s father passed away suddenly, and we were both about to start our final year of undergrad. So, despite some stressful circumstances, I think we just needed each other at that time, and it seems that we have needed each other since.
The Proposal
“…not only did I not expect it, but I would also have bet money that there was no way that was the proposal day.” - Gabby
In January of 2020, Anthony and I went camping at Davis Mountains State Park, which is in west Texas near the famous Marfa lights. This area of Texas is very dark, quiet, and cold at night. It is part of the Greater Big Bend International Dark Sky Reserve, which is the largest certified dark sky reserve in the world. It is home to McDonald Observatory, which is run by UT Austin, our alma mater. We have been to several states together, but this smaller park in remote West Texas is a place where we felt truly calm and at peace, unlike any other place we’ve traveled together. Additionally, we hiked from our campsite up to the Limpia Creek Vista, which is a 9-mile hike that we completed in around 5 hours and did not encounter a single other person. That level of hike was challenging for both of us, and it meant a lot to me that we conquered it together. I always call that trip in 2020 the last “normal days” that we had together before we dealt with job changes, losses in the family, and of course, the pandemic. After that trip things seemed to change rapidly and constantly. We did not make it back to the Davis Mountains until May of 2024, where we completed the same hike as in 2020. A few weeks before our ten-year anniversary, Anthony asked me to marry him at the top of Limpia Creek Vista after carrying the ring 9 miles up a mountain. On this day, not only did I not expect it, but I would also have bet money that there was no way that was the proposal day. But I’m happy that it happened the way that it did. I hope we find time again in the future to make it up that mountain again.
