We're Getting Married!

It was Thanksgiving break 2019. I was sitting in the living room with my mom and sister, Lauren, my car completely lodged in a bank of snow. I was stuck in Julian for the day. We had no electricity and were huddled by the fire. Lauren asked to see my dating profile on the app I was using at the time, and promptly declared that I was "bland and boring" according to my profile. She spent the next several hours revamping my profile, something that I will be forever grateful for. David and I proceeded to both "swipe right" on each other a few days later. I thought that he was super witty, obviously smarter than me, and had pretty green eyes. (Apparently he thought I was, "gorgeous, adorable, humble, active, and faith filled"...good job Lauren!) I was so hesitant when he asked to call me on the phone, and finally picked up the day after my 26th birthday. We talked for a bit. The next day, we talked for over four hours.

David agreed to go rock climbing with me for our first date. I tied him to a 55 foot wall and told him to go the top and he did! His willingness to do something I love, his ability to step out of his comfort zone, and his courage and complete trust in me were all things that really stood out to me. Our hands were raw, we were covered in sweat and chalk, and I still wasn't ready to say goodbye to him yet. He sat in my car and we just couldn't stop talking. (ask about my "first date rubric" for a bonus story)

David made it so easy to fall in love with him. His kindness, humility, sense of humor, and constant positive attitude has made our relationship smooth and so fun! David has taught me how to lose gracefully and repeated in our Scrabble matches, he's shown me how to swing a golf club, he's taught me how to pray more vulnerably, and how to laugh at his ridiculous jokes. We've had the opportunity to hike in Muir Woods together on a surprise adventure, rock climb, go to a PGA tournament, cheer for the Packers on TV, cook meals (some better than others), go on constant walks and explore numerous neighborhoods, and throughout every little activity, I have fallen more in love with his beautiful heart.

The day of our engagement started out like most Fridays. David and I both had busy work days, and I drove up to San Marcos after work to see him. David suggested we go on a long walk along the neighborhood, and then we had a frozen pizza. We perused Zillow for awhile, all typical Friday night activities for us. I had been telling David the week before that I was having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit and requested that we watch the old classic "White Christmas." I was settled on the couch, ready to watch a Christmas movie. David asked if I could come outside for a moment, but shut my eyes (I instantly thought he was going to show me some really cool bug or something.) I went outside with my eyes shut, and the whole patio lit up! David had strung thousands of Christmas lights all over the fence, trees, and had even set up a fully lit Christmas tree. I fully believed that David, being the wonderful boyfriend he was, had elaborately decorated to get me into the Christmas spirit. David said, "I only have one ornament though." I went over to investigate, and the ornament said, "Our First Christmas Engaged." I turned around, he was on his knee, and he proposed. YES YES YES!