September 2014: We met for the first time through the FDA volleyball club and played together here and there. Darlene thought Caleb was cute, but he wasn't so great at picking up hints. Caleb was less of a regular once he left the FDA and started his new job, but then he heard Darlene was going to be leaving, and ... August 2015: We went on our first and second dates right before Darlene moved away to Minnesota! We stayed in touch thanks to Caleb's masterful (read: very long) texts and did a few trips to fun places when we could. New Orleans and Chicago come to mind. November 2016: We finally made it official! Yes, we know it took a long time, but that's the way we roll. We survived long distance by taking a few more trips and have fond memories of Stillwater, Austin, Milwaukee, and our hometowns of Fort Collins and Sayre. September 2017: Enough with the distance! Darlene moved back to Maryland with the road trip fueled by Sweet Martha's cookies from the Minnesota State Fair. We learned we love to cook together but that home decor is best left to Darlene, and Caleb shouldn't wait for Darlene's help with the yard.

We had been talking about an international trip for awhile, and we finally got our chance the summer of 2018. I couldn't totally deny murmurs from friends that our Italy trip was going to be THE perfect time for a proposal, but one night at home a few weeks out from the trip, Caleb was especially stressed out. He let me know his plans to propose weren't exactly coming together, and so I let go of the idea to more fully enjoy the trip. And enjoy it I did! Especially when on the hike from Manarola to Corniglia in the Cinque Terre, he absolutely surprised me by getting down on one knee and popping the question. It was breathtaking! The moment, the view, the rain, and then the sun that came out afterwards. And to learn it wasn't a bait-and-switch was nice, too. Caleb's honesty is one of his best qualities. I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him!

Once I knew that I wanted to propose to Darlene, I got started with the important stuff - researching everything that has ever been published on sourcing, cutting, marketing, and grading diamonds. Once I felt comfortable that I could pass the certification exam to become a licensed gemologist (oh, and I happened to pick a ring), I had to figure out the best time to pop the question. We had planned a trip to Italy, and the timing and scenery seemed like the perfect opportunity. There was only one problem - the ring was delayed and wouldn't arrive before we left. I had a feeling Darlene might have started to suspect I had something big planned for Italy and didn't want the trip to feel like a disappointment, so I told her that I loved her very much, but that she shouldn't expect a big question on the trip. While I started planning for how to make a Columbus Day proposal feel romantic, I was also working with the jeweler to try and get the ring done as quickly as possible. To my relief, following a few anxious days, a suspiciously long trip to "play frisbee" and a surreptitious pickup at a FedEx store in Virginia, I had the ring in my hand before we jumped on our flight. With Darlene's guard down, I was free to select the perfect time. On a gondola in Venice? No way - I'd drop it in the canal. While enjoying the art in Florence? She'd certainly notice it in my pocket before I ever had a chance. A beautiful hike along the coast of the Cinque Terre? That's the spot! We love to hike, and I'd have a backpack to keep it hidden until the time was right. It was a rainy day, but nothing was going to keep us from that hike. At our first stop for water, the clouds opened up and the sun came out, and I knew it was my opportunity. I fumbled through some awkward words, which Darlene has fortunately forgotten because I had the ring in my hand, and just like that we were engaged!