Our story began in the summer of 2013, when Eva (my bestie) created a profile for me on OK Cupid. Marland's profile stood out among many. We started communicating through OK Cupid's messaging system. In September, Marland and I began texting each other. It was all so surreal, but nice. On September 28th (my Godson's 8th birthday), we FaceTimed. After that, we communicated in some form just about every day. On Sunday, October 6th, Marland and I agreed to meet for an early dinner at Texas Corral in Highland, IN. Unfortunately, I have a poor sense of direction and went the wrong way on Route 41. Meanwhile, he kept giving me more time in 5 minute increments. I FINALLY made it to the restaurant in time to see him walking to his car. Because of FaceTime, I knew what he looked like, so I called his name. He stopped and waited for me. Marland and I went into the restaurant. We had a very nice dinner, chatting the entire time. The food and company were great! There were many more dates and then the next chapter in our story happened...

Benjamin Franklin said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." After dating for some time, Marland and I began to notice a few challenges in our relationship. We decided that it would be a good idea to work on our relational and emotional muscles. We decided to see a couples' therapist for some tools and guidance. Therapy is like getting your car tuned up before it breaks down. We wanted to work on "us" before we "broke down." It was a cold evening, in the beginning of a new year. Marland and I had a therapy session scheduled. Due to the snowy, frigid weather and traffic, he was a little late. The therapist and I talked about school/work until Marland arrived. When he got there, our session began as usual. It was going well. All of a sudden, Marland started saying a lot of really nice things to me, about me, and our relationship. I was thinking, "Awww...he is being really sweet." The next thing I knew, he reached in his pocket, pulled out a little black ring box, and asked me if I would marry him! I didn't believe what was happening! I was very surprised and a bit overwhelmed, to say the least, so I asked him, "Are you sure?"...TWICE!!! Both times he said, "Yes, I am sure." After a long pause, Marland got ready to put the box back in his pocket. It was in that moment that I finally said "YES!!!" Our therapist congratulated us and then gave us a little time alone. I was so shocked, but happy! I love the simplicity and uniqueness of our proposal story. Our relationship has grown so much and therapy has played a big part in our growth. January 24, 2019 was the perfect proposal, in the perfect place for Marland and I. It was uniquely "Us." Now, here we are...ready to begin writing our next chapter...