Our Southern Love Story

On Saturday, June 7th, 2025 the army was celebrating its 250th birthday on Redstone Arsenal. Every year at the end of the celebration, there is a grand fireworks display that can be seen from Jack and Monica’s balcony. This year, Jack had a plan. He was going to set up chairs so they could watch the fireworks, play music, and then get down on one knee and propose. The next day, Jack planned to take Monica to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens to take pictures and celebrate their engagement… There was only one problem: The ring had not arrived. To Monica, Saturday night was like any other night. They ate dinner and watched a movie. Then, the fireworks on the Arsenal started going off. Jack rushed outside to watch and Monica popped out for a moment… But after a couple of minutes, she got bored and went back inside. So maybe it was a good thing the ring hadn’t come in time, because her ADHD may have ruined it. Though she certainly would have been surprised! It wasn’t until the next day that Monica thought a proposal might come. The Huntsville Botanical Gardens is such a beautiful, picturesque place to propose! That morning, she asked Jack, “Should I wear a new dress or an old one??” to try and get a hint and see whether or not it was the day. “A new one!” He proclaimed. So she did her hair and put on a large white bow just like Jack likes, did her nails, put on a brand new dress, her favorite pair of white high heel cowgirl boots, and headed to the botanical gardens with a huge smile on her face and nervous but excited anticipation in her heart. As Jack and Monica walked through the botanical gardens, romance buzzed through the air. In a private section of the garden, they put on an instrumental version of “Moon River” and danced in the sunshine. As they gazed into each other’s eyes and kissed, Monica thought, “Is this the moment?!” But alas, there was no proposal. They continued to walk through the garden and kept finding secluded, romantic spots… And left each one not engaged. After a couple of hours in the heat and walking around in terribly uncomfortable shoes, Monica was ready to go. Jack could tell she was a little disappointed, so said “Let’s come back every day this week.” They planned to go back the following day, but Alabama weather is unpredictable and storms were rolling in right at the time they were supposed to go back to the gardens. Instead, they went to dinner at Jack’s favorite restaurant, Commerce Kitchen, and then headed to one of Monica’s favorite places, Poppy and Parliament, for dessert. After dinner and dessert, they headed to Big Spring Park. They strolled through the park and sat on a swinging bench next to a fountain and watched the duck families swim around during sunset. “Is he going to do it here?!” Monica thought. But once again, no proposal came. Instead, they went to a rooftop bar where they watched fire dancers in the park. He was sure keeping her on her toes! After one last drink, they left the bar and went back through the park. Alabama summers are known to be hot and humid, but the night was perfect. Jack led Monica back through the park and found a quiet bench next to the waterway where the duck families swam. As Monica sat on the bench, Jack knelt down and immediately proposed! While she was sure she was going to burst into tears when the moment came, to her surprise, she ended up bursting into laughter instead. It all became a blur and she doesn’t remember what happened next. The ring appeared on her finger and she asked Jack, “Wait? Did you ask me??” He said yes. She then asked, “Did I say yes??” And he said yes again. Every night since that day, Jack has re-proposed so Monica never will forget Jack asking her, “Will you marry me?” Her answer is always yes.

In May of 2024, as Monica was excitedly preparing to receive her diploma from Columbia University after years of pursuing her dream of getting an education, one question kept arising… “What are you going to do next?” Monica had received a job offer in New York and been accepted into a program at Harvard. So she had a decision to make: Was she going to stay on the East Coast or return to the South? A lot of her friends thought she was crazy for passing up such opportunities. But she felt her heart pulling her home. She knew something really special was waiting for her down in Sweet Home Alabama. Meanwhile, Jack was going into his third year living in Alabama after moving to Huntsville for an engineering job. Jack’s life was much more traditional than Monica’s. He grew up in the suburbs of Boston, got his undergraduate degree from Carnegie Mellon at 22 and worked hard to build his career in his 20s and early 30s. At 33 while working on his second Masters degree, he decided it was time to start a new chapter of his life. So he went to the apps. It was fate, destiny, or just plain luck that Jack decided to reenter the dating pool right as Monica moved back to Huntsville. Less than a month after Monica returned home, they matched, and Jack went on his first date in years. Jack and Monica met in the parking lot of a local Vietnamese restaurant on August 1st, 2024. As he locked his black Lexus and walked to her white Lexus, he serendipitously thought, “Wow, we even have the bride and groom Lexus thing going on.” It was meant to be. On their first date, Jack noticed Monica’s unique life experiences. She had moved states/countries 15 times in the last 15 years and lived all over the world. Her experiences had shaped her and given her perspective. Jack also noticed Monica’s compassion and desire to help others, she wanted to make a difference in the world. What Monica first noticed was Jack’s attention to detail. Before the date, Monica had told Jack about a “How Well Do You Know Monica?” quiz that she had given her friends at her going away party in New York and he asked her to bring a copy for him to take on their first date. At the end of dinner, it was time to take the test! Monica watched as Jack explained his thought process aloud. She realized how well he listened (she had been dropping hints) and at the same time, how rational his thought process was as he used logic to answer the questions he didn’t know. To Monica’s surprise, at the end of the quiz, Jack scored higher than all of her friends in New York… Some of whom she had known for over a decade! This got Monica to see why Jack’s spirit animal is an elephant. An elephant spirit animal embodies wisdom, stability, groundedness, and a strong connection to family and community. In addition, they are known for having a good memory… Definitely Jack. Jack also learned why Monica’s spirit animal is a capybara. A capybara spirit animal embodies peace, sociability, adaptability, community, and positivity. They are also known as “terminally chill” and “friends with all”... Definitely Monica. So much so that Jack got “elephant <3 capybara” engraved onto Monica’s engagement ring, which he gave her when he proposed 252 days after meeting in the parking lot of Viet Huong that hot Southern summer night. Their courtship started off simply and sincerely – rooted in shared values, loud laughter, quiet moments, and a love that grew naturally. Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different… Monica’s life has always been, in one word: chaotic. While “Jack was born for peace,” as Monica’s friend Sasha says. If Monica’s word is chaos, Jack’s word is calm. And that’s exactly what Jack brought Monica’s chaotic life… A beautiful sense of calmness, peace, and safety that she has never experienced while Monica brings Jack excitement, laughter, and joy every day. Both of them have the same goal: To make the other happy. And that’s what they both work to do every single day of their lives.