It was the summer after sophomore year of high school (2009) and Billy's cousin Nick had somehow forgotten to mention until then that he had a cool cousin named Billy. Well, that summer he started bringing Billy around to hang out with our friends. I hadn't met him the first couple of hang outs but all of my girlfriends were raving about how cute this Billy was...I didn't buy it. Then one fateful lake day at Jack McVey's house on Nag we all got together and down the dock comes Billy...I immediately understood what everyone was talking about. By the end of the summer we were official!

Billy and I spend most Friday nights going out to dinner after our long weeks at work. One random week in October he asked if I would be game to go to a nicer dinner Friday night and I thought nothing of it because Billy will make any excuse to have a fancy dinner. I got home from work on Friday, got ready for dinner, was late (of course) and we headed off to the restaurant. We were going to Lake Park Bistro which we had only been once before for Valentine's Day. Still had no clue. On the way over it was business as usual, chit chatting, catching up on our day. We got to the restaurant (late and HUNGRY) and Billy had the audacity to ask if I wanted to check out the patio before we got our table - the patio at a time like this?! Immediately it dawned on me what was going on and I couldn't stop nervously laughing while he led me over. Before I knew it he was asking me to marry him and pulling out the most beautiful ring I've ever seen!! I sobbed all of my makeup off, said yes, and we proceeded to have a dinner I cannot remember because I was too excited to even taste my food. We had plans to meet our friends Morgan and Joe for a haunted bar tour at Shaker's (haha) and we clearly were not going to make it to that but I told Morg I'd be there by the end. We went home, Facetimed our family and friends to share the news and met Morgan and Joe at the bar. We walked in right as the tour was ending and Morgan was about to ream me out for missing it before I threw up my ring finger and we both screamed so loud I think every person in the place left.