Her story: Jess had just transferred to high school, in order to finish some last minute credits before graduation. Jess had been homeschooled for many years at this point and admittedly had forgotten how to work a combination lock. Being nervous for her first day she asked a nearby group of girls for a little help, Chris overhears and steps right in to help. Chris and Jess have lockers next to each other for the rest of the school year and a class together as well. They became friends and shared many laughs together. After graduation they stayed in touch and were in a long distance relationship for 3 years and the rest is history. His story: It was embarrassing thinking about writing this. So I'm telling a story to my future children on how I met their mother. It was a day I’ll never forget, it was a day like any other. When this new girl that looked like she came out of a 80’s movie with her leather jacket and blown out hair was beside my locker. She was talking to these 3 girls I kinda knew, but these girls were trouble. I had to swoop in and interrupt them because my locker was in-between them, but honestly I don't know why or what made me swoop in and interrupt there conversation. But, I'm glad I did because from that point on we became locker buddy's and that was it. For a while actually. I had a high school fling and Jessica was a senior (my upper class-man) in her last half of our semester. It wasn't until our last half of the quarter that we had only one class together, study hall. Before that we would meet at the locker between lunch and breaks. The class is when we got to talk and we talked the whole period, to the point that the teacher told us no talking allowed. Then we passed notes, nothing was going to stop us from communicating. Somewhere between these days and us spending more time together we had a chemistry that's when she asked if we could be friends, at the time I thought it was so funny because I thought we were already friends she didn't have to ask. So, I said "No you don't want to be my friend" she pushed me until I finally said yes. But I was honestly stunned, I haven't had anyone come out and ask for my friendship since I was a child. After that I was invited to pizza night at her house with her grandparents, after that night all of my friends from high-school would know her as pizza girl. Only years later would I find out her favorite food would be bread. In that stage of our relationship we were only friends. We did get to spend more time together since we became friends and we also managed to end up in summer school together so she could graduate with her class. That same summer I moved to Colorado. Jessica was the longest person I kept in contact with but we would also stop talking for a while. It wasn't until years later that I would get a message on my phone saying "Do you remember me?" My reply, “Of course how could I forget?” From that point we started texting, talking on the phone, and when we could video chat. Until I finally worked up the nerve to make a flight to come see her in Ohio and that would start our 3 year long distance relationship until I asked her to move to Colorado and pioneer with me in the west and she said yes.

"I vow to take you as my lawful wedded wife to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.” Behind closed doors guys get asked all the time. How did you know she was the one? Was it a moment she surprised your expectations or love at first sight or something you saw in her. And simply put, if your answer isn't all of the above and more. She's not the one. Because it takes more than a factuation at first sight. It takes more commitment to Love Day in and Day Out Day in and Day Out. It takes more understanding than simple favorite colors or favorite foods more than what you can put on Into words But as a soon to be husband with no guidance I would find out there was alot of question and answers I had to ask myself and others before i got to one knee Like questions one when is the perfect senriao to propose this one question would hunt my sleep for mouths to come. I knew 2 things I was proposing this year and A Disney cruise wedding would be absolutely perfect for my Cinderella but I needed my stars to aline with hopes and a pray and I needed to focus my energy to make my intentions known and clear. So I envisioned a few things right off the back I needed it to be special to her and I have to make sure her family and friends are there. My mother gave me the advice that her family would appreciate it more if they were involved. But I didn't want to do it at a holiday where the family all gets togetherness not saying holiday proposals are bad. I'm just not that hallmark movie guy. One of the many tiny reasons I love Jessica is her love for planners she can spend so much time looking and searching for just the right one. And anyone that takes this craft seriously starts looking in December and obtains that perfect match no later than the first week of January So this year we are in our 3rd or fourth store and there I find it the perfect Disney themed planner I brought it to her and she loves it but it was missing something that's when pull out the Disney themed stickers and her eyes light up now it's perfect So now with month after month going by and I still have nothing. I have all these half baked ideas like do it in a hot air balloon or get a pilot to write her name in the sky or go on a little sacvger hunt where I give her a candy ring then take out thr shiny one when she's not looking. Regardless all my plans still landed flat because I needed her family to be there. It wasn't until one Sunday in June we get a call from her grandparents there annual year family riding trip is coming up in September and that's was to be expected but rather than going to Kentucky or West Virginia they were coming to Colorado this year. She was excited to see her family and show the life she built in the last couple of years this would be the first time they would come visit Colorado since she moved here with me I'm screaming on the inside Thank you God I won't let this opportunity pass me by so we were both excited for completely different reasons but excited nether the less but now I have work to do

July 1st today's the day it all felt like everything was alining my hopes and prays and the Settle ring hints. Like Using string on her ring finger while she's sleeps to measure it. But the fact is this woman would carry my blood line and raise the next generation the gravity of the situation was getting to me so much I physically had to sit down outside before. Because when I go in and I'm looking around and they ask me. Can I help you, sir? Yes you can. And that's exactly what happened. The jeweler and I are in the back making a beautiful costume ring that would be the one and right before I signed the papers to finalize the deal for payments 1 today and 3 more in 2week intervals I can't hold back the tears of joy I been fighting since I walked in. It's the first moment where I couldn't hold it together I'm crying infront of this complete stranger and he's so moved by my emotions. I'm embarrassed so I ask him how many guys come in hear and cry over there engagement rings and he puts his hand on my shoulder and tells me not enough. I took the first steps down this path in building a family that would be here for generations to come and with something so great so would be the trails that would follow Two weeks after my experience at the jewelry store I'm as happy as a clam. I'm teasing asking if she practiced her new last name lately and simle when she has no idea what I'm talking about but this one weekend all the jokes stopped When I get a call in front of her it's the jewelry store and I get happy and we are talking about the next payment but then I looked and she's staring at me. Oh No I messed up I tell them I can't at the moment she here and they understand and hung up easy but that could not be said about Jessica. You know when you get a call and you don't tell your partner" Who "was on the phone after the call it becomes awkward. Normally "oh babe it's blah blah from work" but not this time. I was smiling happy and hung up because she was in the room and she saw it all So now I'm suspicious in her eyes and I'm keeping something from her and shes not wrong something so innocent and sweet turned into a heated argument where my trust and loyalty was being called to order. I didn't fix this I couldn't fix it the only thing I could say was trust me and hope that was good enough It wasn't good enough by the way she went to all of her coworkers and friends even her mother because she caught me on the phone and I'm hiding something when we are normally completely transparent with each other.

After being at odds for the last couple of weeks about my secret The stress would be the trigger that set my normally calm adorable book loving wall flower over the edge when she broke out in her cold sore pretty comman but no Devine trial is ordinary. This cold sore would start on her lips and move its way up throw her nose and would make its destination to her eye this is crazy. I'm stunned in a week she had the worst cold sore of her life and to make matters even more bizarre the eye doctor said this is a rare condition that would also need rare eye medication too this week felt harder than the last ones we been already at odds because of my secret but adding a cold sore that's in her eye she's in pain and irritated which won't let her sleep. The day we visited the doctors got the medication and sat her down for what only felt like only a minute. My phone rings it's the jeweler. This time I take the call outside he ask me if I'm ready for the 3rd payment out of 4 but this time I'm actually not I tell him the situation I just had to pay a arm and a leg for these meditated eye drops and I don't know how long i have to keep this going she might need a second dose my head is about to explode all of the stress and pressure thinking can I handle this can I take care of my future wife. I tell my jeweler I don't have the capacity for anything else and I have to miss a payment For the whole next week I'm head nurse in the house I take off work to take care of my patient and the levels of stress in the house has only increased every night isn't restful the irritation increases because things must gets worse before they get better. We finally get to August and I'm mentally exhausted there is only a month left to the trip left Jessica gets better and looks picture perfect again I would have only one more payment left but I can feel it coming I'm not sure where I'm not sure how so start going thru my vows for better, for worse, check i dont think i experience Jessica any worse than this past mouth for richer, for poorer, check me and her had nothing between the both of us when we first started two rooms moved into a apartment together for 3 years now in sickness and in health check right? So until death do us part that it I'm done right but I have such an uneasy feeling lord what will you toss at me next and can I handle it can my relationship take it. I was laying in bed on a cloudy day when I got a call that would change my life it was my mother telling me my sister a fellow bridesmaid has past away I only remember flying out of bed and rushing to my family's side with my finances and breaking the news to my baby brother why everyone is broken and there I see this woman who I brought to meet my mother years ago after a long pizza night is now counseling my mother and just being present with us here this is the loving and caring woman crying for my sister I felt like God whispered in my ear is there any doubt I sent you the perfect match.

My only doubts came from within me, should I do it? Can I still do it? Can I still give her that special moment of dropping to one knee? Is it something she even wants anymore? She wants to cancel the trip because we have a funeral to attend right after the Caudill riding trip now but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. I’ve been planning and enduring this whole year for this moment. The only thing I could decide on was I wanted to introduce her as my fiancé, my future wife at this funeral. The woman that was beside me in the beginning would be the one that stands beside me in the end. I ran to the jewelry store and I'm explaining why I don't have time to wait because I’m two weeks behind on a payment for the ring on order so I need two gold bands right now and I'll come back for the remaining balance. In the middle of me trying to handle business. Im feeling the wave of emotions, I have no one I can tell I'm doing this amazing thing and I'm struggling with these grieving emotions all at the same time so.This last week before the riding trip flies by and honestly my mind felt numb. I could use a distraction. That Saturday Morning it was another sunny day in Colorado her family has been driving all night so they’ll be here in a few hours while packing up these two rings right then and there I decide this is going to be a amazing trip. We met up on the outside of Denver where Tom, Cynthia, Steve and Michelle Caudill’s embraced us with hugs well I had to take my hug from Steve he’s not a hugger. And where we had the pleasure of meeting Mike, Jeremy, Monica, Payton, Sofie add us to the group of 11 would head out to Meeker, CO. Where it was vast land and mountain where we got to stay in a tiny home, bucket list check! We would get there right before dark and unpack, get the camp fire going and relax after the drive up here. It’s nice but I didn’t feel like I officially went riding yet so I slept on the question for one more night. That Sunday morning I would take steps in being the man I want to be. But first surviving the riding trip, grab my helmet because safety first. It’s time to get gassed up and hit the wild I learned a lot about ATVs, quads, and dirt bikes. How expensive this hobby is I’ll probably stick to renting personally. The best way I can describe riding is a rollercoaster on the side of the mountain, fun and extreme. It’s for people who feel most at peace going fast and riding hard after 8 hours of being in what felt like a rocket ship I was surprisingly more exhausted than I expected. Not just me everyone was feeling it this was normal after a ride to feel like tendizes meat. Jessica was sitting by the fire pit under the lights with her aunt and grandma this is it. I grab both rings and head their way. I noticed when I touched them my palms are sweaty, no big deal srugg it off I have 15 steps, drop to one knee and pop the question as smiple as that. I thought it was going to go easy, I should have practice the steps, 5 of the 15 steps I hits me I’m nervous my legs are like lead I thought I was moving fast but when I seen the ladies moving faster to the rooms that’s when I realized my words are stuck in my throat. I couldn’t say hold on or anything before I knew it I’m standing infront of Jessica and she’s so happy just to be here with me her smile is all I needed to feel calm. I was able to make eye contact with Tom her grandfather while he was putting away ATV gear and getting it ready for tomorrow’s trip so I at least had one witness. I looked at her in her eyes and told her this was another beautiful night and perfect day and I promised you so many more to come as I dropped to one knee.