WE'RE GETTING MARRIED

It was December 31, 2011 and I was out at JB's Piano Bar in Joplin having the best time with my friends and the $1 Long Islands. I walked casually past Darris and noticed his curly hair and stopped him - I looked him right in the eye and blatantly told him how fine I thought he was. Thankfully, he fully reciprocated, and we did not leave each other's side until the bar closed. I gave him my number and thought nothing of it. We started talking every single day. He would ask me out on dates and I would decline, or he would try to come swimming at my parent's house and I made excuses. I figured we were better off friends and since I was going to grad school, I thought I had no time for a relationship. But when I was in a bind and needed to practice an IQ test on someone for my Assessment class that Fall, he drove all the way to Springfield to be my "fake client" (and yes, I still have his scores). His trips to see me in Springfield continued and we hung out all the time my first year of grad school. We started officially dating in May of 2013. As my last semester of grad school approached, I knew I was going to go back to Kansas City for work - and the question was whether Darris would come with me or not. I nervously brought it up in a conversation that winter, cried about it, and then Darris grabbed my hand and said, "I will go wherever you go. Except Alaska". Thankfully, Alaska wasn't in the cards for me, so we both moved to Kansas City that Fall in 2014. Since then we've lived together. He's learned to live with my inability to keep things neat, and I've learned how to be more tolerant of his picky eating habits. We got our first dog together in 2017, Baker, and I think we are both taken aback at just how much we love him. Our NFL rivalry continues and always will (the Chiefs suck, Who Dat forever), but we plan on rooting for the Sooners together until the end of time.

April 20th, 2019 was the day but let me take you back a few months. You see, I wanted to take a trip to a warm place & to see the beautiful beach. Trying to talk Greta into doing anything out of the ordinary is a hard task. So as I try to set up this great plan to visit San Diego (where I originally wanted to propose), Greta is asking all kinds of questions regarding the trip. I tend to think that I'm smooth person & told her the trip is for fun, a chance to get away. A few days later she tells me, “if we’re going on the trip so you can propose to me then I would rather save the money." In my head I'm thinking, well I guess I better scratch that whole romantic beach proposal - & I truly knew that I literally had to surprise her. So on April 20th, Sadie (Greta’s sister), their dad, and Sadie's husband were in town for the weekend. I woke up that sunny Saturday and before I left the house to go play golf, I told Sadie that I was going to propose & that I needed help with setting something up. I got home from golf and decided that I would propose at the Nelson Atkins Museum. Sadie came up with the idea that we would tell Greta that Sadie's in-laws wanted maternity pics at Nelson Atkins. (Now you remember earlier when I said that Greta asks a bunch of questions? Yeah, here we go again.) We all drive to the Nelson in 2 different cars - us guys get there and wait for Greta & Sadie. Greta is pissed because she can’t find a parking spot. Go figure! Now everyone is there & we walk around the lawn/garden area. At this point I'm nervous, heart beating fast. I had a speech I wanted to say but I couldn't remember it. I felt like Eminem in 8 Mile in the first freestyle battle. As I was walking down the stairs to a spot where I would ask this beautiful woman to be my wife, I double check to make sure the ring was still in my pocket, and it was. Then I told myself IT'S GAME TIME. I dropped down on one knee and asked Greta to be my wife. She said yes & we still went to San Diego.