This is the story of how a formerly imprisoned baker and life-long butler fell in love. Well, that is, these were our roles in the murder mystery. Emme was new from Chicago and was attending her first murder mystery, fully taking on the role of an ex-con with fake tattoos and a scruffy attitude. Joe was the local guy from Auburn, acting completely subservient and had a terrible mustache. If you know anything about us, these roles didn't exactly portray our true personalities, and if you also know us, we unfortunately are way too committed to acting. It was not a strong first impression. Weeks later, we met through friends again for a night out to the club. Still not exactly our wheelhouse, but through mutual discontent, we found ourselves in the corner actually getting to know each other. She was funny, and he was charming. Days later, Emme decided to host a Halloween party amongst friends... and Joe. Joe is a particular kind of particular. As he entered, he began casing the place: checking the cabinets, noting the shelving/organization, and observing the little touches of decor. Emme laughed and began to think this man was going to rob her... No way this was the same timid and subservient butler. Joe was infatuated by the degree of cleanliness and organization... No way this was the scruffy, hard-nosed, ex-con. As the evening went on, they found themselves enjoying each other's company and laughter, more and more. Over the next year and a half, our relationship blossomed. We learned to navigate disagreements with patience and communication, growing closer and more comfortable with each other. While in Canada for a friend's wedding, we decided to visit the famous Butchart Gardens. Through fake outs and misdirection, the butler had successfully convinced the baker that a proposal was not on the menu this trip. As we walked through the garden, Joe had been feigning back pain, grunting and often taking time to stretch. Once at the Japanese garden, Joe was "forced" to sit at the bench, and eventually got down on one knee. It took about half of the speech for Emme to transition from aggravation to complete disbelief. Overwhelmed with joy, Emme said yes, a reward sweeter than pie.

The greatest happiness is to love out loud - André Gide