August of 2015, I (Sarah) had just moved across country from Southern California to Orlando for what I thought would be a chance to build my resume over the next six months with the plan of returning to California to finish school. Wes had similarly just moved to Orlando and was beginning his career. We were both looking for a fresh start and found ourselves on a fun little app called Tinder to pass the time. We quickly became friends and enjoyed exploring the many adventures Florida has to offer. Concerts with a healthy amount of tailgating, baseball with a not so healthy amount of heckling, trips to the beach, bowling and many long days at the various parks in Disney World helped foster a strong foundation of friendship and trust as we navigated pretending we didn’t have mutual feelings for each other. One night after about a year of knowing each other, Wes suggested watching the show Lost from the beginning. Binging shows is a commitment and one we take seriously. It was no longer a question of when we would see each other again, I was absolutely making the drive each and every day to watch the next episode. Once we finally made it official and acknowledged the strong connection we had, we began creating a life together.

Fast forward to the Summer of 2019, Wes had asked my dad for my hand in marriage (in January) and I was waiting on bated breath for the proposal to happen. My cousins very graciously invited us to go to Hawaii at the end of July. This was it, a very calculated trip with many opportunites to propose. While many saw it coming, nobody could have guessed the thought and consideration he was putting into the proposal of a lifetime. On Tuesday, July 30th, Wes drove us back to the Lihue Airport and to my surprise we boarded a plane to Oahu. I was more confused than ever and was finding it exceedingly difficult not knowing any details of our trip. We met up with our tour guide, Dave, who was wearing a shirt that had a familiar logo. I immediately recognized it as the Dharma Initiative logo from the show Lost. He escorted us to a van with the same logo and told me that Wes had booked us a private tour of the island that would take us to different filming locations. I got in the van and started tearing up behind my glasses. It was a mix of emotions…I had recently been told by a close friend that Wes was in no way proposing in Hawaii because it was too obvious. So here I was thinking this is the most thoughtful thing Wes has ever done and while I know he loved the show, it had held a pivotal role in our relationship. Proposal or not it was just so meaningful and I needed to get a grip. We spent the day exploring all of the different places our favorite characters had developed. Dave explained tricks of filming while also mixing in history of the island. It was incredible and we were able to see a vast majority of the island. About three hours in we got to the beach were the pilot episode was filmed. The crash site, where is all began. Wes started saying something about how it was the beginning of the show but also the beginning of us. I couldn’t tell you what else but it ended with him on one knee asking for forever and me saying, “I can’t believe this is happening, Yes!”