Stephen and I were introduced by mutual friends, Mandy and Brian Schattenberg, seven years ago. I worked with Mandy at the radio station, and would frequently go to her house for wine and pizza. Mandy and Brian told me about this great guy they knew named Stephen, who worked for the FBI. They thought we would be a great match. I reached out to Stephen and introduced myself. At the time, Stephen lived in Albany and was coming in to make sausage with his family in Montrose. Initially, our first date was supposed to be the following night, but on a whim, I asked him to stop at Beer Boys, where I was out with my friends Ali and Lauryn. We hit it off... all four of us!! The following night, we went on our scheduled date to Lucky's Sports Bar. And so it began....

It was the day before the 4th of July, and I was working late at a store event. Stephen made dinner that night, and as the two of us ate, the power flickered and went off for a few seconds. We found it to be very strange since it was a beautiful day outside. Shortly after that, the radio shut off. I made a joke that someone was trying to say hello. Stephen got the ring earlier that day and took the electrical malfunctions as a sign. By this time, I was washing the dishes. He totally caught me off guard when he got down on one knee. After all, my hands were still in dish water! We sat on the kitchen floor, in front of the sink. I cried. He dried my hand and slipped on the ring. It was perfect! The next morning, we randomly ran into my grandmother and aunt in Walmart. As I told my grandmother the story of how Stephen proposed, she told me that my grandfather, who passed away a month earlier, proposed to her the same way... as she was washing dishes. We like to think that he, along with our other loved ones who have passed, were there that night giving us their blessing.