We met through Tinder. Alana swiped ‘Yes’ on Dustin because he stated in his profile that he was a nerd and he had a smile you could feel through the screen. Dustin swiped ‘Yes’ on Alana because she wore a Star Wars shirt in one of her pictures.

After talking for a couple weeks, we decided to meet in person. We were both excited about meeting, but had plenty of difficulties trying to find a good time in both of our schedules. Luckily, we were able to make it work and met for ice cream. We talked for hours that night!

For our second date, Dustin wanted to take me to bar that was rumored to have ‘The Best Burgers on the Coast’. He didn’t know the name of the bar, so he needed to drive me to our date. The bar was located next to an adult video store. Being hopeful that the location hadn’t scared me off, he unknowingly led me into a smoke-filled dive bar. He was so nervous for the rest of the evening, but i thought it was endearing. If anyone is wondering - those burgers were amazing and the company was even better!

We got excited. Everyone on Facebook got excited. Great decisions happened that day!

I slept in one morning, so Dustin decided to watch a video that had clips of one of random animes synced to songs and sound clips. After watching a scene that was tied to the song “Hooked on a Feeling”, he decided that it would be an excellent idea to burst into the bedroom and share the song with me through the his singing and dancing skills. It must have worked because I loved it and it’s been our song ever since!

We went to the Humane Society of Southern Mississippi looking to expand our family. We had seen a few dogs online and wanted to meet them. When we walked up to one of the dogs we had seen, the dog got excited and started barking. This made some of the other dogs excited, so we decided to walk to the other end of the room to give him a chance to calm down. When we did, we locked eyes with Ryder and we knew we were looking at our boy! We brought him home that day.

At the end of 2019, I was accepted into a rotation program with my company. This program allows me to move through various sites and positions with my company to prepare me for a management role. Dustin and Ryder have been able to join me for three of the four moves. When we were long distance, Dustin was able to complete his associates degree in Business at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Since the beginning of 2020, we have lived in Gulfport/Biloxi (MS), Los Angeles (CA), Camden (AR), Huntsville (AL), and Fredericksburg (VA).

Prior to our trip to Pismo Beach, Dustin called his dad to ask for his mother’s wedding band and engagement ring. When we arrived to our hotel, Dustin and his dad went for a walk away from the rest of the family. Shortly after, we were in our hotel room and I went to grab something from the bathroom. Dustin called out for me. When I turned around, he was on one knee!