We met unconventionally online, and when I saw his photos I remember telling myself, “Oh I need to talk to him!” It wasn’t even a day later that we had our first “date”. I needed a ride home from dropping my car off at the dealership. Jacob would not let me take an Uber home and insisted he come to my rescue. He pulled up to the dealership parking lot, and I remember hollering out of my window for him to come and help me fill out the drop off ticket, because I truly had no idea what I was doing! He got out of his Jeep and my heart skipped a beat. He looked even more handsome and welcoming in person. He helped me fill out the ticket, made sure I had everything out of my car I needed, and opened the passenger door for me in his Jeep to take me home. “I can’t just head home now”, I thought. I needed an excuse to spend more time with him. “Are you hungry?” I asked. I couldn’t stop staring at him. “We can grab food somewhere”, he said as we bounced around eateries still open at 1:00 am. We decided on a local, 24-hour, Eat N Park. We walked inside and my heart was racing. I will never forget what he wore that night, how he smelled, what his smile looked like, and the first time I heard his voice. I had never felt feelings of love at first sight before this night. I knew deep in my heart this man was the man I have prayed for. We sat in that Eat N Park booth until past 5 in the morning, conversation ever flowing. We both lost track of time, slowly starting to watch the sky move from night to early morning, yet continued to plan our whole next day together. He took me home, said goodbye (no first kiss), and waited until I got inside safely to leave. Ever since that unconventional middle-of-the-night Eat N Park trip, Jacob and I have been inseparable. Our journey together has moved quickly, but at our own pace. We created our life together, shared firsts, made memories, laughed often, and loved always. I knew in the beginning, this man was going to be my forever.

To say I was surprised is an understatement. I had worked that morning and after work, Jacob insisted I make an appointment to get my nails done. No suspicion here. I love to get my nails done, and Jacob had treated me to this pampering before. So I made an appointment, kissed him goodbye, and headed to my 5pm manicure. About an hour later, I got a call from him, “Let’s go to dinner tonight! What do you think about Juniper Grill?” Now, Juniper Grill had already been a favorite dinner spot for us so going again was a no brainer for me! I loved date nights, spending that one-on-one time with the man that I love. We headed to the restaurant, sat in high booth near the back, against a window, and started to look over the all-too-familiar menu. We ordered our meals, our Caesar salads we order every time we go as an appetizer, and anxiously awaited the delicious dishes to make it to our table. “Let’s order dessert tonight”, Jacob said, something we normally never did. “We could just run to Giant Eagle for ice cream,” I said, trying to save a buck. “No, we should pick something here tonight,” Jacob argued. So, after we enjoyed our meals, we browsed the dessert menu and ordered a fruit covered cornbread dish. With bellies full and smiles on our faces, Jacob left for a moment to the bathroom. Odd...he never did that before in public. Still oblivious to the change in routine, I waited for our dessert to come. Jacob returned to the table, and shortly behind came our dessert. Written beautifully on the edge of the plate said “Will you marry me?” I looked up from the plate to see Jacob on his knee, a beautiful ring in an opened box sitting in his hand, and heard the same words come from his mouth. My heart skipped a beat, my hands covered my face, and I said YES!! The restaurant cheered, and our meal became on the house as a congratulatory gift. Our proposal was a surprise to friends and family, let alone me, and made our already favorite restaurant even better!