In October 2019, we met at the Army's Advanced Leadership Course in Ft. Leonardwood, MO. We happened to be in the same class and platoon. I instantly thought Jonathan was handsome and I adored his smooth Texan voice, but honestly weary of military men. (I've been in long enough to have seen some things.) I wanted to get to know him more, so I asked him to help me study for an exam. I ended up in the wrong building and he thought I stood him up. He now found me annoying and I felt like I blew whatever chance I had of getting to know him. One night, a group of soldiers threw a small get together, and I invited Jonathan. (Here's to second chances right?) He ended up showing up that night and we hit it off. I apologized repeatedly for "accidently" standing him up. At the end of the night, he stole my room key so he could walk me back and the rest is history. We spent the rest of the time in Missouri together and graduated from the class hoping we could continue getting to know one another. In my mind this was unlikely considering he is stationed in Alaska and I live in Pennsylvania. Little did I know, odds were in our favor :)

On 03 July, 2020, Dani planned a trip to Denali for my birthday (07 July). She booked train tickets that would show us how beautiful Alaska was on our way to Denali. My heart was racing because about three weeks prior to this trip, I bought the engagement ring she always wanted. I was so nervous that I left my wallet on the hood of my car at the train station and didn't realize it until 30 minutes after departure. Dani was freaking out as well. Surprisingly, her being worried and anxious made me calm. When we arrived to Denali, tipsy and mildly nervous, I was looking for the perfect area to pop the question. While walking across a bridge that flowed over the Denali River, I noticed how beautiful the scenery was. There was a family walking in front of us minding their own business. I thought to myself that I could ask them to take a picture of us. While handing them my phone on video record, I would have whispered into the woman's ear that I was going to propose to Dani and I would need them just to play along..... or there was a cute little spot underneath the bridge where it guided visitors right next to the river. Due to the fact that I am such a considerate individual, I asked Dani which view she would like to see, secretly giving her the option to choose her proposal. She chose by the river. I set up the phone perfectly and we "posed" for the picture. Dani laughed at me and said in confusion "that's a video weirdo, not the picture setting". That's when I got on one knee and told her what she meant to me. As I was spilling out my love and utilizing all the poetic words I could muster at the time, she seemed conscious and reactive but I shortly found out that she was so shocked and surprised that she pretty much blacked out. I had to explain to her again what I said the entire walk back to the train station....