Welcome to our forever

Some love stories begin with fireworks. Ours began with me running away. In downtown Raleigh at Tin Roof, I was celebrating my birthday when Dave tried to start a conversation. Naturally… I ran to the next bar. But somehow, even then, something had already begun. We reconnected later that night, and after messages and late-night talks, I drove down to Spring Lake to see if what we felt was real. It was. What started with laughter and curiosity grew into something steady and comfortable. I didn’t realize he was the one in one big moment, but over time in the small, everyday ways, like how safe he made me feel and how easy it was to be with him. Over the last three years, we’ve grown together through highs and lows, learning to choose each other every day. The beach has always been our happy place. We’ve spent so much time in places like Emerald Isle and Wilmington, just walking, talking, laughing, and enjoying being together. It felt natural that something as important as this would happen there. On a calm day in Emerald Isle, we were walking along the shoreline when he suddenly stopped. He looked at me and said the words I will never forget: “Anna Elizabeth Mullis, will you marry me?” With the ocean behind us and my heart full, I said yes. Yes to forever. Yes to steady love. Yes to a lifetime of ordinary days made extraordinary because we’re together. And if I had to do it all again, I would still run away that night in Raleigh… just to find my way back to him.