When I finally decided on a ring for Jaclyn, I asked her sister, Emily, for help planning the proposal. I knew that I wanted to take her to her favorite winery, Sweet Cheeks. Emily helped me sneakily get Jaclyn to go dress shopping and get her nails done, and disguised our outing to Sweet Cheeks as an excuse for a sisters' photoshoot. Little did Jaclyn know she fell right into our plan. I invited my mom and Jaclyn's parents to join us and surprise Jaclyn. When we arrived at the winery and they sat us at a six person table, I was a little nervous that she would catch on, but I was lucky that it was such a beautiful day and she was just paying attention to the scenery. When Emily and I convinced Jaclyn to take a few pictures before we ordered some wine, I asked if Jaclyn and I could take a few photos first. After the first photo, I started into a small speech I wanted to say. In an obviously surprised way, she responded, " You are not!" I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. Through the happy sobbing I heard a "Yes!" and we were engaged! Shortly after we got back to our table, our parents walked around the corner and the happy sobbing started again. It was a lovely afternoon that ended in some delicious Korean BBQ!

We first met on a dating app, called Bumble, which requires the woman to message first. Of course we had to start by going over every detail about each others dogs, and after a few weeks we decided to have our first date at the Public House in Springfield, OR. The Public House is a unique bar house that has food stalls and a wide selection of beers inside an old renovated church. It was during the height of COVID so all their seating was outside, and it was freezing! Despite that, we sat and talked until the place closed. We connected over our love for travel, food, and family. During that date Jaclyn ordered a grilled cheese which led us to figuring out that Adam's work sponsored a local food experience which supports local food banks, called the Grilled Cheese Experience. We loved the idea and both had a real hankerin' for grilled cheese, so we decided to go get more for our second date the next day.

⫸ Met Baby Cheetahs at Wildlife Safari with Roomdawg Alleya ⫸ Camping with Jaclyn's Family on Tahkenitch Lake, OR ⫸ Explored Crater Lake with a few of Adam's Niblings (Niece and Nephews) ⫸ Gambled away our life savings in Las Vegas ⫸ Visited with Adam's Family in St. Louis ⫸ Jaclyn met Adam's Godparents, The Pincuses, in Puyallup , WA! ⫸ Started wonderful Christmas traditions, like Competitive Cookie Decorating and Christmas Eve Trivia ⫸ Smelled the flowers at the Woodshoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR ⫸ Marched all over Italy, conquering the steps of Vernazza and Amalfi, and consuming all of Italy's pizza, pasta and gelato ⫸ Cheered on at the US Olympic Trials at Hayward Fields, Tracktown, USA ⫸ Deafened ourselves at the Panic! at the Disco concert in Portland, OR ⫸ Feasted with the baked item of the week for The Great British Baking Show ⫸ Hosted Adam's Mom's Retirement Party ⫸ Rocked out with the Arctic Monkeys in Portland, OR