Adam slid into my Tinder DM’s around Christmas of 2017. He asked me what my favorite Christmas movies are & I knew I had to meet him. Our first date was also the first time we ever met in person. He took me to my favorite place (Sonic, of course!) to get slushies, & then went to the movie theater to see Insidious 4. He drove all the way back down to Lincoln that night after dropping me off at my parents house in Omaha. He had texted me when he got back to his apartment & told me how excited he was to see me again. The feeling was obviously mutual, & the rest is history!

Adam is a NYE baby, so I was letting him plan our day since it was his birthday! We woke up, and Adam still didn't know what he wanted to do. I started getting ready, and he told me he wanted to go up to Omaha to see the Christmas display that Lauritzen Gardens had. I asked if that was something he really wanted to do on his birthday because that seemed like something I would rather do than he would. He said yes, and that he could get his free admission through his job. We drove up to Omaha, dropped Archie off at my parents house, then rode to Lauritzen Gardens. We walked in, Adam "showed his ID badge to get us in", and we walked through the entire place in 15 minutes. We wandered around the gift shop for a little while until I asked if Adam was ready to leave. Adam said he wanted to go back through the exhibit again because there was a back door we missed the first time around that would take us outside to another display. I told him the door he saw was an emergency exit, and that I saw a sign that said they didn't have any displays outside because of it being winter. He proceeded to tell me he saw a different door, and that we needed to go back in. I was adamant that this door he was seeing was an emergency exit, but I let him drag me back into the main room. We walked up to a huge palm tree that was labeled as a Christmas Palm Tree, where I could see the emergency exit. I was walking faster, getting ready to prove I was right, when I heard Adam say something behind me. I turned around, and he was on his knee, holding out a ring box. I honestly don't remember a single word he said because I was so shocked. I said "shut up" a couple of times, and even playfully slapped him on the shoulder because I thought he was joking. I quickly realized he was serious when he started crying, which made me cry. I said yes, of course, and I have truly never been happier than I was that day, and I cannot wait to marry my best friend!

The day was December 31, 2020. Not only was it my 26th birthday, but it was the day I received a gift that I would get to call "mine" for the rest of my life. You may be thinking why I was so excited about getting my own health insurance. Well, because it was the dead of winter and I was feeling the heat. I wasn’t sick, but the pressure was mounting and if I didn’t propose soon, let’s just say that health insurance would come in handy. Kidding. Little did she know that hidden in my pocket was the perfect tool to stop all further not-so-subtle hints that time was ticking. I said I wanted a casual birthday, but Alli insisted we celebrate. Seemingly reluctant to oblige, I suggested we visit Lauritzen Gardens. They had a big Christmas display and given that only 6 days had passed since Christmas, Alli needed more Christmas scenery to fend off her post-Christmas withdrawal. This was the maiden voyage through Lauritzen Gardens for us both, so I didn't know what to expect. We meandered through the tropical exhibits and Alli loved the Christmas display. Only problem was that we got through the whole place much quicker than anticipated and I hadn't completed my mission. I tried convincing her we missed an exhibit so we had to go back in. She didn't buy it but humored me anyway. We came across a Christmas Palm Tree, a perfect combo of Alli's favorite holiday and vacation spot (Hawaii). After some eye-roll-inducing pun about how only proposing could make this tree a better symbol for Alli, I knelt under the tree and asked, “Will you marry me?” In such shock, she said “oh my god, what! No way!” She hit my arm, finally said “yes, of course I will,” and cried until pictures. I didn’t think I’d need shoulder pads that day, so luckily I was wearing a thick jacket, or I might have needed to use that health insurance on Day 1. I guess I wasn’t kidding about being glad I had it. But seriously, I got the best birthday gift ever when Alli agreed to marry me and I couldn't be happier!