The island of Sint Eustatius: Neither of us knew what we were getting ourselves into when we came to the island for medical school. When Jordan stepped off the plane, he thought he was on a prank show, and anticipated cameras to come out of nowhere with balloons and bells. When Jocelyn arrived, she honestly thought this may have been a mistake since the rural environment did not even provide fresh drinking water from the tap. It was not until the white coat ceremony when both Jocelyn and Jordan met. Jocelyn was sitting up in front and Jordan took a seat two seats behind near the overworked AC (big mistake, extremely cold). He had his eye on Jocelyn since the moment he walked in. Jocelyn had other thoughts in her mind. At the white coat ceremony, Jordan approached Jocelyn first and asked to take a picture. Jocelyn found it akward since they just met but took one anyways to be nice. He then asked for her number, but she could not remember her island cell phone number and decided to get the number from her neighbor who was also in their class. Later that afternoon Jordan called Jocelyn to go swimming with him and a couple of other classmates. Jocelyn declined and said she did not have a swimsuit, as she was focusing on only studying. Jordan pretty much got shot down, but he did not stop pursuing her which developed into a great friendship over the next couple of months.
In medical school, Jocelyn and Jordan were inseparable. The two of them had their unofficial seats always in the front of the classroom, and always took their breaks together. From 1st term on the island and all the through their clinical science years that took them across the country (Illinois, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Louisiana), the two remained in love. Despite the multiple challenges to their relationship including long distance, the two continued to embrace each other and prove their commitment to their future. The two have shared some epic moments together including vacations to St. Maarten and India, and going on road trips from California to Virginia. They always celebrated their love with unique gifts, whether it was a guitar for Jordan or a self-remake music video of Boyz II Men's song "I'll make love to you" for Jocelyn (seriously...Jordan did make this video!)
The MATCH is the most significant event in a medical student's career. It is at this moment, one finds out where they will be spending the next 3-5+ years of their training. Jocelyn and Jordan both decided long before the awaited email would reveal the MATCH results, their relationship would continue. By the end of MATCH week, Jocelyn matched into Family Medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, VA. Jordan matched into Psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA. Despite the distance, they continued to see each other every 1-2 months, and spoke on the phone/facetime every day. At the end of Jocelyn's residency, she plans to move to Atlanta and do temporary work until Jordan finishes his final year of residency. From there, they plan to move to California based on the job availability, and reside in either Atlanta or Chicago until then. Being in two different states has not changed the fact they love each other and look forward to spending their lives together. While the years during residency can be tough, they have overcame numerous obstacles that have tested their relationship. They both look forward to the day when they can start their careers together, start a family together, and begin their lives as husband and wife.
The proposal anticipation began with a video Jordan made Jocelyn for their five year anniversary. The actual proposal though would come a few weeks later...
vimeo.com/102593173
Password: 39670
Dec 28th, 2013:
Long before the proposal was planned, Jocelyn and Jordan decided for Christmas they would start a tradition where they would exchange unique and personalized ornaments each year to be added to the Christmas Tree. It was Jocelyn's idea, but on the first very Christmas when they were suppose to exchange ornaments, she forgot. Regardless, Jordan did get an ornament. It was a special ornament, an ornament that would forever change their lives.
The evening of December 28th, 2013, the two dined at a fabulous gourmet restaurant in Atlanta called Bachanallia. This beautiful European restaurant featured a five course meal that would bring a tear to anyones eye. To accompany the course, they brought a bottle of wine from Wolf Mountain Vineyards where they did a wine tour earlier in the year. They said they would save it for a special occasion (hint hint).
While Jocelyn was suspicious of the night and anticipating a proposal, her expectations dwindled as the check came and they were making their way back to the car. As they got in the car, they barely made it without being soaked. The rain was coming down hard, and made it impossible to do the second part of the evening-- a horse carriage ride in Piedmont Park. Instead, they took the short drive home to spend the rest of the evening together.
It was there, Jordan reminded Jocelyn about their ornament Tradition. He asked Jocelyn if she noticed the ornament he made for her on the tree. Jocelyn was surprised and did not recognize it hanging. When she took a closer look at it, it read "Will you marry me?". When she turned around to look at Jordan, he was on one knee with a ring in hand.
9/13/2014, we held our engagement ceremony in Fresno, California. We had a lovely ceremony at St. John's Cathedral, proceeded by Father Theophane. The ceremony reaffirmed our engagement before God, family, and our friends. Following the ceremony, we held an exciting reception at the San Joaquin Country Club. We were honored by our close family and friends speaking about our relationship and giving us their blessing for the future. Friends showed their talents through music and dance, and we toasted the afternoon with a beautiful view of the central valley surrounding us.