Neither Amanda nor Cameron was expecting to meet their future spouse when they swiped right for each other in August of 2017, but Amanda had a pretty good feeling when she stumbled upon a guy who sarcastically claimed to be 4’11” with some pretty impressive stilt-walking skills. From the second they began messaging back and forth, the laughter and flirting never let up. Two weeks later, they met in person — after, Cameron jokes, Amanda “really made him work” for her phone number.  Amanda’s favorite Chinese restaurant set the scene for the couple’s first-ever date, and despite the familiar territory, Amanda couldn’t help but be nervous in Cameron’s calm and collected presence (or so he claims to have been).  Their first date ended with a walk through a park by Amanda’s house, where Cameron pulled off some pretty “smooth moves” to give the date the ending he was hoping for. While taking a moment to sit, Cameron slung his arm over her shoulder before pointing behind her and casually stating, “Hey, there’s a bear over there.” Amanda turned around, full well knowing there are no bears in suburban Texas, but when she turned back around, Cameron’s face was just close enough to kiss — so she did. The couple will never forget that first kiss they shared on that white wooden bench. 

In February of 2019, Cameron let it slip that he was going to propose while trying to comfort Amanda during a moment of self-doubt. Naturally, Amanda burst with with excitement and immediately starting trying to figure out when and how the proposal would happen. Cameron knew at that point it would be harder to surprise her (and that she wanted pictures, of course). Cameron developed a plan that basically guaranteed Amanda would never see it coming: to propose on his own birthday during a “casual outing” to The Dallas World Aquarium. To disguise his secret mission even more, he invited his brother Chris and his sister-in-law Alexis along for the adventure (and to take the pictures Amanda requested).  Amanda couldn’t help but wonder why Cameron was racing through the aquarium so quickly when the trip was “his only birthday request” — just slow down and look at the pretty fish, honestly. Little did she know,  Cameron was rushing for a reason. When they’d arrived at the aquarium, Cameron saw a school bus bursting with young children, unloading for a field trip and threatening his plan to have Amanda’s favorite exhibit all to themselves.  Eventually, they got to it: The long and narrow underwater passage where sharks and schools of colorful fish swim all around, visible through the thick glass that encases it. There, Cameron insisted he tie his shoe before having his and Amanda’s photo taken. While Amanda watched the sharks swim past, none the wiser, Cameron knelt before revealing a ring from his front pocket. The following moments are blurred by shock in Amanda’s memory, if she’s being honest. She whipped back around, stunned to see the ring in Cameron’s hand and the wide grin on his face. Joyful tears immediately poured out from her eyes as she fell into his arms (almost taking him down with her). As she buried her face Cameron’s chest, Amanda completely forgot about the small crop of bystanders — that is, until one sweet woman came by to offer hugs and congratulations.  With Cameron’s secret mission accomplished, the group took one more lap around the aquarium — you know, so everyone could see all the stuff they’d missed during their rush. But Amanda remembers fewer fish than she does happy tears, hugs, kisses, and excited phone calls.