AJ and I met on Bumble, a dating app. When I downloaded Bumble I had no intention of going on a date, much less starting a relationship. I was just looking to chat with a few people for fun. At that time, I was planning on moving to England to work as a nurse for a year or two. When AJ and I started chatting we clicked right away and chatted every day for a few weeks before I decided going on one date wouldn't hurt. Internet dates never go beyond a first date, right? For our first date we decided to meet up at a restaurant called the Knickerbocker. We were meeting after I got off a twelve hour shift at work, and I worked the next day. Unbeknownst to AJ, my best friend was also in that restaurant on her own Bumble date. We talked effortlessly for a few hours and the restaurant was starting to clean up, so we decided it was time to leave. When we parted ways outside we had the best end to a first online date. A really awkward hug.

This past summer, AJ and I were up in Wisconsin with the Ray clan for a week at HoneyRock Camp. HoneyRock has been a huge part of my (Caroline's) life and a big part of my faith journey. It has always held a special place in my heart, which is why AJ decided that week was a great time to propose. On July 20th, which also happens to be my birthday, everything started out pretty normal. We had breakfast in the cabin and we chatted about our plans for the rest of the day, typically including walks around camp and lots of board games. Dad had rented a motor boat for a couple days, so half the group took the boat out to lunch while the other half drove to meet us. After lunch we went back to the cabin, and everyone went their separate ways for the afternoon. AJ suggested we go for a little walk, and the only thing that seemed off to me was that he was being a bit pushier about our plans than he normally would be. We walked out to Lost Lake, which I had wanted to show him, but the boardwalk that is normally in place to walk out through the bog was under water. We turned around and headed back towards camp. I suggested we stop back into the cabin to see if anyone wanted to do anything, but AJ suggested we stop at Cathedral Pines first, my favorite place at camp. We got halfway down the path, but there were campers there so I said we should turn around. He stopped me before I could start walking away and he got down on one knee. It was a sweet, isolated moment with only the slight hiccup that he forgot to actually ask me to marry him (he remembered a few minutes later). When we got back to the cabin, everyone was waiting with a banner and sparkling grape juice to celebrate. I was also surprised by my best friend, and maid of honor, showing up to celebrate with us. It is definitely a birthday I will never forget.