What a ride it's been! There have been a couple versions floating around on how we met...from grabbing the same produce at the farmer's market, to standing in line together for turkey legs at the Renaissance Festival. We like to preserve the mystery of it all, so the next time you ask how it all started, it will most likely be a different answer. We’ve had a lot of adventures since our first date in June of 2022. Two and a half years flew by as we learned more and more about each other. We shared dreams of our future together, and we both knew we were ready for the next step. Now it just came down to when.... Eric settled on planning an engagement around Thanksgiving, when both families could be around without raising much suspicion. A visit to the Christmas tree farm to pick out a family tree seemed like the perfect opportunity. Not only could the cover be getting a tree for her family, but Eric also promised that Courtney could pick out a tree for his house. As a traditional non-decorator, Eric was giving up a lot of control for Courtney to pick out the perfect tree....and the rest of our lives! We planned a trip up to West Jefferson with Courtney's family, while Eric coordinated his own family to show up as a surprise. Since Eric is great at planning the details and totally gave his family the correct time to show up (he didn't), some stalling was necessary to make everything line up. Courtney was bombarded with questions about different Christmas trees to check out: "Is this one tall enough", "Is this one full enough", "Is this the perfect tree for you", "Can you imagine spending the rest of your life with this tree", "Would you say yes to this tree" (Thanks Emily and Bella for the subtle questions!) Spinning in constant circles, we stalled just long enough for her to finally decide on a tree. When posing for our first picture with our perfect tree, Eric's family had just run up the hill and popped out behind the camera. Now with everyone there, the moment was upon us. Eric's final detail in the plan showed up right then, with snow starting to fall. Down on one knee, he asked for her hand in marriage...and she said yes! We are now living in Greensboro with our 5(!) pets, and counting down the days until we say “I do”! We are so excited to have our family and friends together as we finalize our promises to each other and dance the night away!