Bonfires. That was all the rage back in high school. My friends and I always found ourselves huddled around a fire, sharing stories, playing games and staying out too late. On a warm June night in 2010, I tagged along with 2 of my girlfriends to an ordinary bonfire, or so I thought. Never in my life would I have expected to meet my future husband that night, especially considering the fact that I could not even legally drive yet! Recently, I've become more of a firm believer in fate, and reflecting back, I truly believe that our story is no exception. The night started off with 3 girls on one side, and 3 boys on the other, awkwardly whispering, giggling to each other to break the silence, and eventually running off to the bathroom together, as high school-aged girls do. When we got back, the boys had strategically rearranged positions so that each one of us had no other choice but to separate from each other and sit next to one of them. I chose Nick, and holy cow, I'm so happy that I did. Fate! Back then, I would consider myself a shy person- fairly reserved and even somewhat nervous. But somehow, Nick and I meshed. I was not particularly looking for a boyfriend, but fate knew I needed you. Here we are, 10 years since then, and our love is still so alive. There is never a time that I don't think back to the night we first met when I find myself sitting around a bonfire. I can still hear Nick asking "do you want to have a marshmallow roasting contest?" and memories of our sweet, innocent beginning erupt in my mind. Our love is on fire, lighting up the world.

Nick’s proposal to me was simple and thoughtful, just the way I’d imagined it to be. Days leading up to the proposal, Nick reached out to my mom to ask her if she’d take me to get my nails done. My mom gathered my sisters and made a date, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nick’s plan to get my nails done was unfolding perfectly, until I refused to get a manicure and opted for a much-needed pedicure instead. My mom relentlessly urged me to get both, knowing that I wouldn’t want my nails to be in that condition when Nick proposed. But it didn’t happen, and it honestly didn’t matter. Nick was being thoughtful- I was being stubborn, as usual. After 8 years of dating, I was convinced I’d have an idea of when he was going to propose, but it caught me completely off guard. He knows that family is the most important thing to me, so he chose Christmas, a time where we would all be together, to ask me to marry him. Nick arranged to have both of our families meet at our house for dessert. Being that we had just purchased our house in May, I was excited for the opportunity to host family, and didn’t think anything would happen beyond that. Our house was buzzing with energy one moment, then all of a sudden it grew quiet. Nick grabbed my hand, and led me into the living room where all of our family was anxiously awaiting this once-in-a-lifetime moment. I was flooded with emotion, my knees gave out, and I found myself down at Nick’s level, looking into the hopeful and teary eyes of my forever. Our house exploded with cheers, confetti and chaos. 12/25/18 became engraved in my memory as a moment in time that I will never forget.