We met through a mutual friend, but before any romance, we were friends for years. Shortly before I moved to another city for an exchange program, we started to really get closer: long conversations, easy laughs, and that interest that appeared without asking permission. The catch? I was going to spend six months out of the country quite a challenge for something that was just beginning. But Luiz, in his dedicated way, decided that the distance wouldn't be the end of the story, but the beginning. Even though it wasn't easy, he found a way to visit me in Paris. That's when it became clear that our story was for real. When I returned to Brazil, we started dating. And since I had always dreamed of living abroad (and Luiz also thought it was a great idea), we started planning calmly until the opportunity to go to Ireland finally arrived. Without ever having set foot there before, we landed on the Emerald Isle with six suitcases and a whole life to build. And we built: a beautiful life, full of friends who became family, trips to incredible places, wonderful memories, and recently, the achievement of owning our home. In 2025, we went to New York, one of our favorite cities. On Christmas Day, we went to Rockefeller Center to take those cheesy photos with the tree and voila: Luiz knelt down, showed me a beautiful ring, and asked: "Would you marry me?" Now, all that's left is to count the days until we celebrate our wedding in Rio, surrounded by people we love, coming from all corners of the world. And if there's one thing our story proves, it's that this is just the beginning of a partnership that still has a long way to go.