Julia and Ben met in June 2022, two brand new resident doctors among 12 starting at Allegheny General Hospital’s Emergency Medicine program in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. By complete chance, they had both moved into the same apartment building, in the up-and-coming Strip District of Pittsburgh. For the first, easy orientation month of residency and during the summer months, Julia and Ben got to know each other as friends, enjoying their apartment building’s pool, going out to neighborhood bars and restaurants, and spending time with a brand new group of people in a new city. Their bond grew as residency became more strenuous throughout their 1st year, with long hours, difficult cases, and humbling experiences that all new doctors experience in training.

On May 31st, 2023, their friendship blossomed into something more. After a particularly taxing shift, Ben was sitting out on his apartment’s porch in warm, late Spring weather as the sun was setting drinking a glass of wine. He texted Julia to see how she was doing, as she was on the dreaded OB/GYN rotation. Julia was done with all of her required deliveries, and after a few texts, Julia decided to leave her OB/GYN shift early to join Ben for a glass of wine. One glass of wine turned into two, and two turned into three as soft music played in the background and the warm weather lingered pleasantly into the early hours of the morning. It was in those hours that they realized that they had feelings more than that of just friends.

Julia and Ben started to date shortly after that evening. They supported each other as best friends throughout the trials of residency. During their time off, they went on adventures together, including road trips across the US, hiking on the coast of Wales, and a month long search and rescue course in Utah. They met each other’s families and saw how each other’s loved ones could become their own.

As Julia and Ben was wrapping up residency, they decided to pursue attending physician opportunities in Colorado Springs, Colorado, taking a giant step into moving and working in a totally new place for both of them. During their travels, they fell in love with the West’s natural beauty and laid back culture and wanted to experience living and growing there together. They saw how strong of a partnership they have formed and how it could last for a lifetime.

Julia and Ben graduated residency together on June 27, 2025. They got engaged the following day, celebrating with their families and friends. They drove out to Colorado the following week. Since being in Colorado, they have enjoyed hiking up 14’ers (mountains at 14,000 feet), skiing, camping, and exploring the breweries and restaurants in Colorado Springs. They have had challenging but fulfilling jobs as ER attending physicians in Colorado Springs, with a supportive group of colleagues in a good hospital system.

Even with all of these amazing experiences, Julia and Ben look forward to the biggest adventure of their lives, marriage! They cannot wait to celebrate with all of their family and close friends as they begin their lives together in the place that they call home.