Connect How did your love story begin?

We met as bankers in Andover, MA. What started as friendship grew while we helped each other through some of life’s hardest seasons. In 2020, we met for coffee, and days later the world shut down. Through the pandemic, we talked every day, working behind masks, gloves, and plastic barriers. When those walls finally came down, we realized we never wanted to be apart. Friendship became love, and love became family.

What is your favorite memory you've shared as a couple?

He planned a spontaneous Disney trip for my birthday, I picked an oyster to find a pearl: my favorite gemstone and birthstone. While I was distracted opening the smelliest oyster imaginable, Alonso was secretly choosing a ring setting. When I turned around showing him my beautiful champagne-blush pearl, he was on one knee. He looked at me and said, “I promise to be your forever. Will you be mine?” It remains the easiest yes of my life. He still tells me he can smell the oysters.

What would you do with $20,000?

We would invest in our family’s future. Part would go toward a down payment on a home where our four children can grow up feeling safe, loved, and secure. We’d also start/add to college savings accounts so each child has opportunities waiting for them. For us, $20,000 isn’t about a prize, it’s about building the next chapter of our story and creating a foundation that lasts long after they’re grown.