What's ironic is that even when we "met", we really didn't meet one another. I know what you're thinking..."so, y'all must've met on a dating app?" Negative! Prior to meeting in person, we'd only known each other's name and nothing more. We vaguely knew what the other person did for a living or at least some of their accolades, but getting beneath the surface actually took some time. On behalf of two friends who once dated in the past, we started following each other on social media, which started with Instagram and slowly made its way over to Facebook. Yes, we do still utilize Facebook...at least Jordan does in 2021. Months had gone by without us ever having any type of communication, so basically we were just another person we saw coming across the timeline on a daily basis. It wasn't until Jordan reached out via Facebook DM to familiarize himself with Ariel. One message led to the next message and then on to the next message. Shortly after these messages started to compile, Jordan had a work opportunity to visit Atlanta to host a grand opening. He thought it might be a great opportunity to finally ask her out on a date when he came in town. Ariel agreed and they went out on their first date and had dinner and drinks. One thing that was interesting is that Jordan took an Uber to Ariel's apartment building without having ever met her before...scary right? She opened the door to let him in and he's been around ever since. Moral of the Story: Sometimes it's risky, but sometimes it's also worth the risks you take. What is visible is not half as appealing as what lies beneath the surface. Time heals all. Love certainly conquers all!

First and foremost, I wanted to give myself a chance to do things the right way. So, asking Ariel's father for his blessing to marry his daughter was huge in my decision-making for this proposal. I was intentional in including her mother as well as her grandmother. Long story short, they all felt content with their decision to give me their blessing to marry Ariel. Kierra, Ariel's older sister, and I coordinated things as best as we could, thinking of ways to keep it a secret. Ariel was under the impression that we would be attending a birthday dinner for one of her cousins at Hal's Steakhouse, only to walk in to a private room filled with family and friends there to celebrate us. As expected, it was tears flowing all throughout the room, rightfully so. Ariel was beyond words and I think it's safe to say that she felt a lot of love in the moment. Above all else, we were able to capture this moment, which is something we will always be able to look back on and be proud of. Our parents had such great things to say about the young man and woman they raised.