We're Getting Married!

In May 2015, just after graduating from the University of Florida, I accepted a job with NAVAIR in Jacksonville, FL. In June I packed all of my belongings into my car and headed north from South Florida (luckily not very far). Knowing no one in this new city, I was gracious to start work with a large group of recent college graduates, one of which was named Andrew. After several months of settling into a new city and a new job, and various group outings, Andrew worked up the nerve to ask me out. I called my mom that night with the news, to which she responded “I thought you two were just friends!” Sometimes good things come with time, and i have no complaints! Within the first year of the new job, I adopted a kitten and a puppy because I’m a sucker for animals. The first time Andrew came over to meet them he was so gentle and caring with these two tiny living things, that’s when I knew. Just a month after we started dating, Andrew and I discussed taking a trip to Disney and came to the conclusion that we needed Disney annual passes. The rest is history.

After years of dating I was ready to take the next step and ask Veronica the big question. I had a few times and locations in mind and played them all out in my head. I knew which one it had to be. Veronica and I had discussed dinner reservations for April 24, 2019, our dating anniversary. Around midday, I texted Veronica and said "You have to leave an hour early today. Put in leave." She responded in a confused manner asking why we had to leave work early if our reservation was for later in the evening. She was slightly annoyed since we rarely put in leave on a whim. I responded in a short statement, as I often do when at work, only giving her a time she needed to leave her office. She agreed. A few minutes later I sent her another text message, "You have to take leave tomorrow morning. Start to 11am. We're going to Disney tonight." "WHAT", she responded. The drive was long, seemingly longer than usual. I tried not to work myself up too much. I was sure she knew what was happening that night but not a word was mentioned by either one of us. We arrived at Disney's Contemporary Resort where the gate guard requested my driver's license. I reached into my pocket and found it difficult not to disturb the other "item" hidden inside. The restaurant is situated on the roof of the resort, 15 stories up, overlooking Magic Kingdom park and the waters of Seven Seas Lagoon. We had an amazing dinner, the best we've experienced at Walt Disney World and to top it off, castle fireworks were about to give us a pre-dessert show. We watched the "Happily Ever After" castle firework show from the outdoor balcony of the restaurant. I paid attention to the beginning of the show but my thoughts quickly turned to anxious anticipation. I struggled to get the ring out of it's pouch in my pocket without spurring her suspicions. At the end of the show, I asked a family nearby if they would take a picture of Veronica and I with the castle in the background. We stood next to each other for a photo, I waited a few seconds, reached into my pocket, turned to Veronica, got down on one knee, and asked her if she would marry me. The rest is history.