In 2014, the first time we laid eyes on each other was at a birthday party that was hosted by my sister, Viviana. As soon as he entered the room, there was an immediate connection. We were both smitten. Soon enough, I found myself glued to my phone talking to him. There were late-night talks that lasted until dawn, cutesy text messages and meme trading throughout the day that had us bursting out laughing. Since then, we have shared the love of our three fur babies (Fiona, Ace and Chewy), family, friends, hiking, festivals, wine tastings and so much more! After lockdown in March, we were fortunate enough to spend plentiful of time together. We were able to accomplish fun activities at home that we hadn't before and sincerely enjoyed one another's presence.

In November of 2019, we were in Cancun, it was my birthday weekend and were with an excellent group on vacation. We had just landed in Cancun on my birthday so the celebration that particular day was followed by tiredness and we ended it short. Fast forward to that Saturday, we were well into our vacation and it was supposed to be my "Birthday Dinner" that Derek had planned for me. So instinctually, I thought he was nervous because we had these reservations and he claimed we didn't have a confirmation. Needless to say, he was able to work it out and get us that reservation. The scene was perfect, sun was setting, we were under a lit canopy while watching the ocean. Derek pulls out his phone to play "Over the Rainbow" and drops to his knee. We are so excited for our future together and can not wait to celebrate with you all in 2022!