In July 2017, Aditya started his clinical year in medical school. He had just finished his first board exam and was simultaneously bumbling his way into clinical medicine and the app scene.
Then he saw her face... and swiped right. It was a match! He was so excited but had to wait for her to say hello. #bumble
As the 24 hr time limit started creeping closer, he grew nervous. No response. He had a chance to extend the time limit and furiously thumbed his way through the interface desperate to secure more time with a one-time extension. Alas. He hit the wrong button and cancelled the conversation.
Little did our distraught medical student realize, his future better half-to-be, Lauren, was saving lives on one of the busiest overnight rotations in residency.
The next day, they matched again! And then appeared the little yellow bubble that would change their lives,
"How's your week going?"
Their first bumble chat conversation extended into a hour long phone call. Over the course of the next few weeks, they spoke on the phone for hours every day. Lauren was falling for him without even having met him, and her sister Kristen was low key getting afraid she was being catfished.
Finally, they decided to meet. He showed up to her apartment door with 2 pints of Jenni's ice cream, an ice cream cake, and flowers. She remembers being taken with his huge smile and sparkling, kind eyes.
A late dinner at Jitlada turned into an impromptu road trip (during which Lauren napped in the car) to a secluded beach in Malibu where they watched shooting stars make their way across the sky over an expansive ocean.
Over the years, Lauren and Aditya's adventures have taken them across the globe. From the glacial lakes of Patagonia to the cherry blossoms of Tokyo, they learned to rely and support one another while becoming best friends and sharing amazing experiences together and with their families. The best parts of their experiences have been sharing these moments with their loving, supportive families who they both cherish.
June of 2019 was filled with graduations! Lauren completed her Internal Medicine Residency at LAC+USC. Aditya matched into the same program to start his training as a newly minted physician after graduating from the UCI School of Medicine.
Fortunately for him, Lauren had matched into the Rheumatology Fellowship at the same hospital! Each day they now got to look forward to seeing each other in the hospital. Running into Lauren in a hallway or working in the clinic, has been the best part of his residency experience.
It seemed like just another Friday morning.
Aditya asked Lauren if she would be interested in enjoying an afternoon in Newport Beach. He told her that they had been invited to a party on a yacht to celebrate the (fictional) retirement of one of his former advisors aboard a yacht. He attempted to convince her that they would miss the main party and would instead have to catch up to the ship using a small boat.
When they approached the beautifully decorated day yacht (same boat from 007's Skyfall), it became clear this was not simply a ride on the water. As they pulled to the mouth of the harbor against a gorgeous backdrop of the Pacific Ocean, Aditya bent on one knee and asked Lauren to marry him.
She said Yes! But the real surprise was yet to come.
After celebrating with champagne, balloons, and photos, they began to head back into harbor eager to call up their families. But as they pulled in, lined along the dock were both families in eager anticipation!
As everyone climbed aboard for a beautiful sunset ride, we felt so blessed to have the love and support of our families. We are so grateful for your support and are excited to celebrate with you as we begin the next step in our journey!