"Hi, Dustin" were the words that started our life together. I had just returned from Croatia, and Dee wanted to hear about the trip. Simple and quick, but what followed was a continuous conversation online ranging from my escapades as an Easter Bunny to her trip to see family in Alabama. We spoke Spanish together, made each other laugh, everything just seemed to flow in the conversation. We couldn't wait long to see each other and began our first date at a Starbucks in Cool Springs, Tennessee. Both of us were nervous, Dee in her leather jacket and phone on the ready for her friend to call if the date didn't go as planned (or so I'd thought). As the day progressed, we didn't want to leave each other. I kept admiring her smile and Dee couldn't stop staring at my hair and eyes. I eventually got so struck by her smile that she stopped my thoughts mid-sentence. I had to tell her at that moment how beautiful she actually was. We left Starbucks in search of tacos where the conversation continued. We slowly locked hands eventually, letting the sun set as we continued to learn more about each other. As we had our first kiss saying goodnight to each other, we both knew we'd found something special.

Dustin and I both have March birthdays and we decided to celebrate on a weeklong Caribbean cruise (my first cruise as an adult). Little did I know this vacation would be a pivotal moment in our relationship and change our lives forever. I know that probably sounds cliche but it’s true! As a native Detroiter, I’ve been a lifelong Motown fan so it was only natural that we attended a Motown trivia event on the cruise ship. It took place in an elegant, multi-level bar and live music venue called Dazzles. We found great seats at a table on the second level. We had a gorgeous view. We didn’t do as well as we’d hoped with the trivia but we had a fun time singing and chair-dancing to Motown tunes! When the event ended, Dustin told me he wanted to take a photo on stage. I naïvely thought he meant that he wanted me to take a picture of him standing on stage, so I told him to go down to the first level (where the stage was) and I would take a photo of him from our seats. After he posed for a quick picture, he started talking to the gentleman who had emceed the trivia event. The conversation lasted for a minute or two. I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Eventually, Dustin pointed upward at me and beckoned me to the stage.  When I joined him there, Dustin handed the emcee his phone and asked him to take a photo of us together. Just when we were about to pose for the photo, Dustin said he needed to tie his shoe. He stepped behind me to do it. It was taking longer than I expected. When I looked back to see what was going on, Dustin was down on one knee with an open ring box in his hands. “Will you marry me?” he asked with a wide smile. It was completely unexpected. I couldn’t believe we had arrived at this moment, although we had been talking about marriage for months. “Yes!” I said, still in shock but also floating on air. We shared a kiss. A handful of guests were also in Dazzles at the time and they started applauding. Someone shouted from across the room, “Was it a yes????” Inwardly, I had to laugh. I thought my response had been evident even from a distance (given the kiss and all), but I confirmed my answer.  I later found out that before I joined him onstage, Dustin had told the event emcee about his proposal plans and asked him to capture the moment on video. I also found out that Dustin had been secretly consulting with my mom for months leading up to the cruise. He had asked her to help him choose an engagement ring I would love, and they communicated through phone calls and texts I knew nothing about. Just before the cruise, my mom was in town visiting and she actually had the ring in her possession for a while. She was helping Dustin hide it from me.  The night he proposed, we toasted our engagement over an exquisite steak and seafood dinner with champagne. About a thousand times, I said, “Oh my gosh, you just proposed to me!” I was still in total amazement that our life together was actually beginning. And what a dazzling start it was!