Monica was born and raised in Orange County, CA. She is in her last year of medical school at George Washington University and hopes to become a pediatrician after graduating. Monica loves Disney, ice cream, singing, Spanish, and FaceTiming with Makar.
Makar was born and raised in Queens, NY. He studied finance at Queens College and then at the University of Rochester. Makar loves spending time with loved ones, eating out, traveling, macaroni and cheese, and taking Monica out on fun dates.
12.27.13
I first met Makar at the 2013 Momentum retreat in California. We exchanged a few words here and there, but not enough to get to know each other well. I gathered that he was a godly guy with style (winning combination!). We all received a personality report at the retreat, and out of curiosity I glanced at his, but was disappointed to discover that he was more "type A" than I was. I wrote him off as a no-go in my mind and was able to put my curiosity to rest.
--Monica
I first noticed Monica when she was leading the praises at the retreat. I loved her voice and thought she was attractive. She looked like she was really praying the songs she sang. We joked around and hung out together with the rest of our friends. For some reason I felt she wouldn't be available at the time, so I didn't tell her I was interested during the retreat. But I definitely didn't forget her!
--Makar
5.26.14
5 months later we met again at the wedding of our mutual friends, Marianne and Tony. The mood was right, the tone was set, and sparks were flying. Makar approached me twice at the wedding. The second time was when he came to my table to chat with our friends and somehow everyone else except for the two of us magically disappeared. We had a memorable conversation about life and values, which helped me realized that Makar was a solid, funny, and intelligent man with a good head on his shoulders.
--Monica
That day, I remember first seeing Monica as I walked out of the church after the wedding. She was smiling, as usual. At the reception, we chatted a bit and I teased her about a joke she made. A few minutes later we were sitting at one of the tables alone having a real conversation about life (one of my favorite topics!). I remember thinking to myself, "This is a special girl. We're on the same page." As the wedding celebration came to an end, I was determined to talk to her again as soon as I could.
--Makar
8.28.14
We had dinner at Le Diplomate in Washington, DC. We walked down U Street before and after dinner, but we both wanted to keep talking. We continued our conversation at the National Mall where this photo was taken.
7.5.15
I was so nervous! I spent months preparing for the proposal and had lots of help from family and friends. As "A Whole New World" in Spanish (she LOVES Disney and Spanish) started playing, I knew Monica had entered the scene and was reading the notes I wrote for her. I couldn't wait till she got to the last one. And when she did, I came up from below the terrace, told her I loved her, and asked her to marry me.
--Makar
I got dressed up for "dinner and pictures" as part of my friend Julie's bachelorette festivities. As we walked toward "dinner" I saw a sign that said m + m on a gate and behind it were pictures of me and Makar in the distance. I froze in front of the gate but convinced myself to move forward so I could see Makar sooner! You know how the story ends :)
--Monica
9.26.15
We celebrated our engagement ceremony with family and friends at St. Abraam Coptic Orthodox Church in Woodbury, NY.
As we embark on this beautiful journey of becoming one, we ask for prayers for growth in wisdom, peace, faith, and love in the Lord.