WELCOME

I first started talking to Alysiah when I saw her on Instagram. I noticed she was from the same area as me so I took a chance and decided to message her. After two weeks off messaging, I asked her on a date. We went out to chili’s and a movie for the first date. She got stuck in traffic on the way to the restaurant and the bartender thought she stood me up. I told him to just wait a second because she had texted me and said she was on the way and she was going to be a little late. She finally arrived and we ate dinner. We then decided to go to the theater in her car. The first thing I noticed was that her car was clean and that it smelled like cupcakes. The end of the date ended memorably too because we ended up having our first kiss by my truck before we went home.

When I decided I was going to ask her to marry me it came down to a question a friend asked me years before. When I played for the Steamwheelers I roomed with a guy named Terry Johnson. He had asked me a question on the way to practice during a conversation about love and life. He asked me how do you know if a woman is the one you want to marry… would that woman do anything to help you? I was to slow to answer at the time. I recalled the conversation him and I had when thinking about Alysiah. Shortly after I recalled that conversation, Alysiah’s friend Dani asked me about the possibility of a proposal/wedding. I brushed it off because I wasn’t sure until December of 2020. All the past conversations, thoughts, and feelings just clicked at once. I had a best friend that I could laugh with and a beautiful woman that I could also love. She was someone I could see myself with and it all made sense. I went in secret to a jewelry store with some suggestions from Alysiah she sent for “whenever I was ready.” I was unsuccessful at my dad’s jeweler but I was determined. A search of the area by our STL apartment provided a jeweler which had exactly what I wanted and fit the parameters. Alysiah’s closest friend group from college was also a huge help along with one of my best friends, Jordan. We set up a time for them to come to STL and created a plan to hide and surprise her. I set up a photo shoot to get some couples pictures to throw her off the trail. We decided to take photos at the Botanical Garden, even though it was freezing out. I really surprised her when we went to the climatron and dropped to a knee. I had a speech prepared and said about half of it before I just blurted out “will you marry me?” She said yes, then her friends and Jordan popped out to surprise her. It was a cold and happy day for everyone involved! I’m so excited to marry my best friend!