I remember taking the train from Milwaukee to Chicago. I couldn't stop smiling. When I arrived and met Ashley for pizza, we talked about our plans to build our own pizza empire. We then walked across the street, where we would do an escape room with 6 drunk strangers. (We got out by the way) I had booked a later train back so I would have time to spend with Ashley. We walked in the rain. I passed Ashley's patented Cookie Test. (I didn't make her share her Insomnia Cookie with me) And we picked out books for each other to read. Fast forward, we're still picking our books for each other to read, but now we're annotating them for each other. We're still doing the escape rooms, but we've now left those drunk strangers behind. We have now upgraded from taking walks together to doing bike rides together. Every day I fall more in love with her. There's no one else I'd rather have by my side in every ball we host, in every murder mystery we construct, through all the sunny days and rainy nights.

Jarrett is notoriously bad at keeping secrets and yet he still managed to surprise me. I knew he had purchased the ring (he accidentally admitted it while driving to see Wicked a few weeks before). I had decided that I would dress up every time we go out, no matter the occasion, just in case. We had planned to go for a walk alond the beach halfway between Milwaukee and Chicago- where we both lived when we first met. I was convinced he would propose. He then managed to convince me it wasn't going to happen when he admitted he had 4 gifts for me, but none of them were the ring (spoiler alert one was the ring). The first gift he gave me right when we got there- an annotated copy of Mistborn. Thank goodness I didn't flip to the end. We walked along the beach and I took my shoes off to enjoy the sand. He was quiet but I didn't notice. I was too busy looking at cool rocks. We stopped at a private area and took some pictures. Then set up the timer on our phones to take some more. He got down on one knee and proposed (his form was immaculate). I fell down and we hugged. He had to help me back up. I got to read the letter he wrote in case I said no. What da heck. When we got back to the car he gave me the letter he wrote for when I said yes. I cried some more. Then he gave me a sword. I had joked when we first met that I would rather have an engagement sword than a ring. He got me both. Now I'm counting down the days till I get to call my best friend and love of my life my husband. There is no one else I would rather spend the rest of my life with. I am so blessed to be able wake up next to him each morning and fall asleep by his side each night. I am truly thankful I get to love him and be loved by him for long after an eternity.