A & C

For some people, the cliché saying, “we found love at first sight” is usually just that, a cliché. But for us, it was real. Our journey started on a dating app, in mid-summer 2023, which then quickly turned into the longest first date I have ever had. A nine-hour first date, which started at the gym, our first kiss on a tower and ended with a movie. It was truly magical. I had always dreamed of having a relationship that resembles the kind of love you see in a Disney movie. For instance, Tangled. Flynn spent his entire life looking for gold. Looking to hit the jackpot. And although he did not find the gold, it did not take him long to realize that he had his gold right in front of him. It was Her. After about a month of dating and getting to know each other, we decided to take an impromptu trip together. For most, you learn a lot about your significant other when you take a vacation together. We are both people who love the beach and want to experience that with each other. So, we loaded up the car and took a long weekend road trip to Myrtle Beach. On the way down, I was playing different scenarios in my head of how I wanted to tell her that I loved her. All these feelings collided together, and I was ready to take that step. So, one evening when we were spending time together in the pool, just goofing off and having so much fun, I looked into her eyes and knew that this was the moment. “I love you, Aubrie” those four words were met with tears of joy and in response I got an "I love you" back, of course. That magical fairytale that we both wanted was already blooming. Just like in the story of Tangled, it did not take me long to realize that she was my jackpot. The last year has been filled with laughter, joy, happiness, adventure, tears, but I would rather not do it with anyone else. I like to think that we teach each other things every day. She has taught me to have a better understanding of mental health and understanding better ways to communicate. I like to think that I have helped teach her with how to be patient and remain calm in tough situations. In my eyes, this is what makes a true relationship. One where you are always learning from the other. You are always striving to out love that person every single day. That is the type of partner that we have found in each other. And over that year of learning and growing, it culminated to a trip that we took to the Dominican Republic in September 2024. I knew she was the one for me. In July 2024, I began looking at rings. Asking her friends and family what they thought about certain options to make sure that I could find the perfect one. It was not long after I started searching that I found THE ring. On our second day of being in the Dominican Republic, I set up a scavenger hunt for her that evening. The scavenger hunt had a few notes spread across the resort at a few of the first places we ever went together. The gym, where we first met, the tower, where we first kissed and the beach, where we first said, “I love you.” As she was walking the scavenger hunt, excitement started to set in. For both of us. For about an hour as she was completing the scavenger hunt, I was sitting on the beach, crying in tears of joy. I am excited to take this step with my person. To do life together forever with my person. At about 6:30 pm I was standing staring at the two most beautiful things I have ever seen in my life, my future bride and the oceanic sunset. It took me a second to gather my thoughts, and I had to take a deep breath, but I took that moment to tell her how much I loved her and how important she was to me. And that I was ready to do this with her forever. At this moment, I am sure she knew it was about to happen. I grabbed the ring from my back pocket, I got down on one knee, and I said “Aubrie Lynne, will you marry me.” And with that, I found my gold, my jackpot.