Ringing in the New Year with Love

Jamie loves to tell people we met at Hooters—and while that’s technically true, the real story has a little more to it. Our story actually started when Jamie first saw photos of me on Facebook through our mutual friend, Judy. Curious (and maybe a little smitten), he asked her about me and eventually reached out to ask me out. The timing wasn’t right, but he did get me curious about him. A little while later, I made plans to meet up with Judy… yes, at Hooters. Jamie happened to be at his annual Marine Corps Birthday celebration with his friend Shawn that night. When Judy mentioned I’d be there, they decided to stop by after the celebration. We immediately hit it off. That night at Hooters is when we officially met in person—and that’s where our story really began. So, Jamie isn’t entirely wrong!

Jamie proposed to me while we were on vacation in Arizona. He had spent days trying to find the perfect spot—but of course, I had no idea what he was up to and kept unintentionally throwing off his plans. Poor Jamie had this gorgeous ring in his pocket trying to lead me to romantic spot after romantic spot. I just wasn’t not cooperating. I’d waited so long for this proposal, and somehow I still didn’t see it coming. On our very last day, after his many attempts, he asked me to sit with him on some swinging chairs in the resort to reflect on the trip. I thought we were just winding down, soaking in the view of the gorgeous mountains of Scottsdale, AZ and talking about all the memorable things we did. Then, out of nowhere, he was down on one knee. I was completely shocked—overwhelmed in the best way. It was such an emotional moment. Simple, quiet, and just us. I wouldn’t change a thing.