A New Chapter

On Christmas morning, December 25th, 2022, Gregory completely caught me off guard with the biggest surprise of my life. Imagine this, it’s the perfect Christmas scene the Disneyland parade is playing in the background, everyone’s in the living room opening gifts. It’s me, my brothers, my parents, Gregory, my tia, and my nana. I’m still in my pajamas, no makeup, hair all over the place because, let’s be real, I just rolled out of bed a couple of hours ago. And obviously I didn’t think I would be getting engaged so of course I’m not ready. We’re all exchanging gifts, and just when I think we’re done, Greg pulls out this big gift for me. I’m sitting there clueless, like, “one last present!” But right before I can tear into it, Greg stops me and says, “Wait, before you open it, I have something to tell you.” Now I’m like, “Uh, okay?” Next thing I know, he’s reading this whole love letter from his phone talking about how much I mean to him, how much he loves me, all the super sweet, cheesy stuff in FRONT OF MY FAMILY. (Crying in the inside) because I was so embarrassed especially because my DAD yet along my BROTHERS are listening. Meanwhile, I’m just sitting there, in my PJs, dying inside because I’m not used to all this cheesy talk especially in front of my entire family! I’m thinking, “Oh my God, can I just open this gift? What is happening right now?!” But then I notice everyone is recording this moment my nana is crying, my mom and tia are covering their faces, laughing and smiling and I’m so confused. I look back at Greg, trying to focus on what he’s saying, but I’m also low-key panicking, like, why is everyone so emotional?! Then, he says, “I love you, Ashley,” and before I know it, he’s down on one knee. And I STILL don’t get it. I’m just staring at him like, “Why is he kneeling? What’s happening?” Then the words hit me “Will you marry me?”……….. and I literally black out. I can’t even process what’s going on. I’m laughing hysterically because that’s the only thing I can do in the moment. Poor Greg has to ask, “So…?” thinking I already said yes, but I was too busy having a mini freak-out. Finally, I snap back to reality and say “YES” (out loud this time). Everyone rushes over, hugging and congratulating us, and just like that, our Christmas morning became unforgettable. The rest is history.