About Rahul
I grew up in Austin.  I graduated from Westwood High School in north Austin then attended the University of Texas at Austin (Hook ‘Em.) Leaving Austin for the first time, I went to medical school at Texas A & M University.  I then moved to Dallas to train in internal medicine at Baylor University Medical Center, and am currently undergoing my cardiology training there as well.  I hope to someday go back to Austin or the surrounding area.

About Nisha
I was born and raised in Waco, Texas.  I graduated from Connally High School and Baylor University, and then moved up to Dallas to attend Texas Woman’s University for physical therapy school.  After I graduated, I started working at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, where I still work today.  When I was in PT school, I always joked that I was going to work in a hospital so I could meet a nice Indian doctor, marry him, then quit working.  I never thought it would really happen!  (meeting an Indian doctor and marrying him, that is…I still want to work…)

Rahul’s version
It all started one day when a nurse paged me. Upon answering, I hear “Hello, Dr. Bose…Are you Hindu?” I replied with a confused “What?” after a few seconds of silence. Later, I find out that Fidel had asked Nisha that same question, and had decided that we must meet and made it her mission. After some persistence -and by some I mean daily - I agreed to call her. I wondered if we would click as she had initially struck me as quiet and shy (and I am pretty much not), but within minutes of our meeting, any doubts I had were quickly erased. We were out until 12:30 that night, which doesn’t mean much until you realize that it was a weeknight, and her bedtime is 10:00 (she hardly ever stays up later.) That first date was followed by a second (as soon as my schedule would allow) and so on. It continues to amaze me how quickly and easily I became comfortable with her.
Nisha’s version
I remember first meeting Rahul on my second day of work at Baylor. He was introduced to me as “Dr. Bose,” and I remember thinking “He looks Indian, but his name sure doesn’t sound Indian.” I obviously had a lot to learn. I didn’t see Rahul for a few months after that, then all of a sudden started to. He was always friendly, but we never really talked except about mutual patients. Shortly after that, a nurse on one of the floors I worked on asked me if I knew Dr. Bose. I answered that I knew who he was but didn’t really know him. Her next question: “Are you Hindu?” Since my answer was yes, from that point on, Fidel (the nurse) was on a mission. Daily (if not more frequently) she would tell me about him, ask me questions to give him information about me, and pretty much embarrass me every opportunity she got. The first time I talked to Rahul after all of this was actually to apologize to him for Fidel’s perseverance. (Being as shy as I am, I’m still surprised I talked to him!) Rahul didn’t seem to mind Fidel’s persistence, and in fact succumbed to it. I got a page the next day, we exchanged numbers, and went on our first date a week later. Dinner lasted a mere 4 ½ hours, so we decided to get together again, and have been ever since.

According to Rahul
I wanted it to be a total surprise. I knew that she was probably expecting a proposal sometime in the next year or so, but not at the end of my residency. I told her that we had to go to a graduation dinner so that she would dress up. We usually take timed pictures of ourselves when we dress up, so I asked her to pose with me. I set the timer and opened the box on the way back to her. There is a great picture with her eyes and mouth wide open. I was still playing up the graduation thing so she would think that was the only surprise. While she was busy telling her parents, I took her to another restaurant than the one we had talked about for graduation. It took her a little while to realize that we weren’t going to be celebrating my graduation that night (mainly because I was trying really hard to sell it.)  Anyway, we finally sat down to dinner where I had a card and a rose waiting for her. We had a wonderful dinner together. I was just happy that she was totally shocked.
According to Nisha

I was getting ready for dinner (Rahul’s graduation-from-residency-dinner), when he asked if it would be okay to take a picture of us before we left.  We hardly ever dress up, so it wasn’t an odd request.  And, yes, this is dressing up for us.  We took one picture, but Rahul wasn’t pleased with it (I was leaning in too much), so he set the timer for a second picture.  As he walked back over to me, he told me how nice he thought I looked and how nice my jewelry looked, but said I was missing something.  He pulled a box out of his pocket, and I assumed it was a necklace because I wasn’t wearing one.  I was still a little shocked when he opened the box, but of course I said yes (to the ring, and by default to him, I suppose.)  Oh, the camera timer went off just after he opened the box, so it got my reaction.  On the way to dinner, I called my parents and sister, but they already knew this was coming!  I’m always the last to know, but I guess that’s the price to pay for a good surprise.  By the way, dinner was just for the two of us.  He had to tell me it was his graduation dinner so I would dress up without getting suspicious.
 
    
 

On the eve of our anniversary, we went to the City for an early celebration. We had an dinner at an eclectic SF restaurant and the food was excellent. Throughout dinner I kept checking my jacket pocket to make sure the ring was safe. I was afraid H would see me and figure out my plans.

H: And I thought he was checking out girls at the bar.

Afterwards, we went to “our” bar for drinks. We talked about how amazing the past year has been and how happy we are. It was hard not to give away the surprise.

H: I really enjoy our conversation that night at the bar. It reminded me of our 2nd date when the bartender thought we were a longtime couple. I guess the chemistry was there from the very start.

We wanted to stop for oysters but midnight was fast approaching. With a stroke of luck, the place was closed. I took the cue and said it would be nice to go up to the Marin headlands to see the view. H agreed so we crossed the Golden Gate bridge with my heart racing. We stopped by a lookout because H wanted to take some pictures. My heart beated faster and faster with each click because midnight was almost near.

H: I wanted to some pics of the amazing view but R rushed me off before I could get a good one.

We raced all the way up to the headlands. My fast driving made H a bit nervous. We were halfway up before finding the road closed. Once again, fate brought us to a perfect spot. There was no one around so we parked on the side of the road and found a little clearing overlooking the bridge. What an amazing view! The City’s lights was dancing in the night, the Golden Gate Bridge glowed from behind a light blanket of fog, and an almost full moon shined from above. The mood was set and the timing was perfect. At the stroke of midnight, I started my little speech. As words of love poured from my lips, my heart gave me the final push. With the ring in hand, I got down on one knee and asked the single question that had been on my mind all along…..”Will you be my wife?”

And she said “YES!!!!!!”

H: The location couldn’t be more perfect ….the city we love shining from below and the bright moon shining from above. It was simple and from the heart….just like I’ve always imagined. I was a bit stunned when the moment finally came but my heart knew the answer before the question was ever asked. So I responded with my whole heart…..an absolute and resounding YES!!!

So on Valentines Day I was working. It was coming to the end of my shift when I was told there was a package for me at the front desk. I came down to find a guy waiting for me with a package in hand. I found a note that said “If the glass slippper fits…open the next package.” Under the note was an actual slipper in my size that did fit. The guy then handed me the next package which was a beautifully done scroll. I unrolled it to find an invitation that said “You are cordially invited to the Prince’s Ball Febuarary 14, 2006 at 830pm.” The location was not disclosed and in small print it said “Proper Attire is Required.” He told me that he would be my chauffer for the rest of the evening. So as I stepped into the Jaguar that he had me picked up in, I was beginning to feel a little like a princess! The driver was heading to my apartment when he handed me another package which I opened right away. Inside I found a beautiful dress…but not just any dress…it was the full Cinderella ball gown …you know the blue dress with the white puffy sleeves including a choker neckalace and long white gloves. As the chauffer waited downstairs I ran up to my apartment and one hour later I was back down dressed like a princess glass slippers and all! The chauffer then took me to my final destination which was an indoor ice skating rink. As I stepped out of the car, a guy and girl dressed like Prince Charming’s coachmen were waiting for me. In the girls hand was a luxurious light pink velvet cape with a white and silver wooly lining. As she draped it over my shoulders she said “Welcome to the Ball Princess.” The guy with her took my arm in his and escorted me into the rink while she walked behind me carrying the cape as it was quite long. As I stepped into the rink I could hear romantic Indian music playing on the PA system. It was dimly lit with the disco ball and its colored lights reflecting on the ice. As I walked under an archway of balloons that was in the same blue color as my dress I saw a platform with a table and 2 chairs with pillared candles and flowers. Rahul was sitting at the table with his back to me as I walked down the carpeted isle. As he stood to recieve me I saw that he was wearing the Prince Charming costume. He handed me a rose and our evening together had began…I had not realised till this point that the 2 people who escorted me in were wearing ice skates…and I found out soon that they were actually proffesional skaters. As we listened to a series of my favorite indian songs and enjoyed a 5 course meal of all my favorite foods they skated in and out doing short performances and serving the delicious food. As dinner came to an end the skaters brought out this beautiful shimmering flat snowflake with a circle of flowers on it and the box with the ring in the center. With my favorite song on cue Rahul got down on one knee and proposed. It was the best moment of my life. To end our magical evening Rahul and I donned skates and skated the night away hand in hand. It was a fairy tale proposal with a Happily Ever After soon to follow… with my real life Prince Charming!  
 

A year ago on a windy summer day, we met in the beautiful city of San Francisco . We hit it off right away. A one hour lunch turned into five. We both knew there was something special on that very first day. And that was just the beginning. The next time we met, we talked for six hours. At this pace, we would soon run out of hours in a day.

As we got to know each other more deeply, we realized just how much we have in common…we even have the same laundry basket. But it’s more than that. We bring out the best in each other and challenge each other to become better human beings. We truly complement each other. With each moment we shared together, our bond grew deeper. And before we knew it, we were in love.

Here we are a year later, more in love than ever. So many things along the way have shown us that we are meant to be. And we couldn’t possibly imagine life without each other.

  It’s over! We are married! Thanks everyone for coming and sharing our wedding day. It makes us feel special and loved.

We are off on our honeymoon tomorrow. Will post pictures once we have them.

Just a month to go now… We have most of major details sorted out, but the little details are keeping us busy. It is getting exciting, and we are trying not to be too stressed about it all.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at the wedding.

Take care and travel safely,

Love,

Hilda and Rahul