We were both home from college and met at Short Pump mall to walk around...in the rain. That was my bright idea, of course. That lasted about an hour and David asked what we should go do. I suggested PetSmart. When we walked in a saw the cats David said cats were his favorite animal and he had three of his own at home. I knew it was true love because I'm a crazy cat lady and had two of my own at the time. I mean how could you not love cats the most! When it was time to say goodbye I said "are you gonna kiss me or not?" He looked at me all nervous and I leaned in for our first kiss. Yes, our first kiss happened on our first date. When we went our separate ways I knew I he would be my best friend. I had found my person! He was so easy to talk to and get along with and he loved cats so how could I not fall for him? Over the next three months we hung out almost every single day and had so many fun adventures! The beach, the mall, the movies and got to know each other's friends. I knew I wanted him to meet my parents. If you know me you know how much I love and respect them so bringing someone home is a big deal. Then he introduced me to his parents and that's when i knew he was as serious about me as I was about him. When it was time to go back to school and I had to say goodbye I knew I never wanted to say goodbye to him again. We spent as much time together during the school year. He would visit me at Virginia Wesleyan and I would go see him at Virginia Tech. We have spent nearly every holiday for the last seven years together. I am so excited to start our life together as Mr. and Mrs. Blacka!

David planned the most perfect surprise engagement. We were at Nags Head beach for a little family getaway with my parents, my Uncle Aaron and Aunt Kellie, my cousins, Jackson and Emma and our close family friends, Jessica and Jordan. That Saturday I thought we were going out to a nice dinner at one of our favorite spots so I got all dolled up. Before dinner my Aunt Kellie and Emma suggested we go to our favorite candy store and then get some ice cream. Little did I know that while we were doing that the rest of my family was decorating the house to bring David's vision to life. When we got back my mom asked me to go get some paper towels from downstairs. Everybody took their places, including Jessica standing on a chair in the corner of the room to get the best angle for the video. When I walked in I couldn't believe it. It was better than anything I could've imagined and I'm so glad that David thought to involve my family...not that my mom and Jordan really gave him much of a choice haha! We celebrated with cake and drinks and then a trip to a biker bar but that's a story for another time.