We met at a Ducks Unlimited event that we were both volunteering for. We were stationed at the same table selling raffle tickets for Yeti coolers and handing out as many fireball shots as possible. Mark was immediately impressed when I recognized the Texas country playing on his phone followed by the fact that I knew what and how power plants operated. After the golf tournament all the volunteers joined for a quick dinner, Mark lost his phone and was off searching for it. By the time he made it back to the table to eat I was long gone (trying to hit my 9pm bedtime) and he was stuck asking his friend for my number. The rest is history!

It was a long holiday week full of hospital shifts in rehab for me. I was ending the week with Family Thanksgiving at my brother and sister-in-laws house. I was under the impression that Mark and Brad were spending the morning hunting and doing guy stuff out on the land so we could not ride out together after my shift. Tired from work and the drive back to my hometown I was fixated on an unbaked apple pie and cold rainy whether, so shooting targets was not necessarily top on my radar to complete. After a lot of convincing from my family I went out to shoot targets with Mark. I may have missed once or twice but it was after Mark hit the explosive target that it blew over the large board revealing the hand painted sign that read "WILL YOU MARRY ME?". Of course all the letters were perfectly formatted and of appropriate size based on distance, thats the engineer in Mark. At first I didn't see the sign and turned away to go bake my pie until Mark asked me to shoot another target, it was at that moment that everything clicked in my head, I saw the sign and then Mark down on one knee with the most beautiful engagement ring in hand. To say I was surprised would be an understatement.