It all started in 2008 at our high school's annual Homecoming dance. Erica and I were originally suppose to be taking another date that night but we both ended up going alone. I remember the first time seeing Erica that night at Homecoming, she had this fierce, independent, and beautiful demeanor about her that instantly stood out and something I had never seen in anyone else I had ever met. She also had an edgy side to her with her red hair paired with her red and black dress that made her stand out from the moment I seen her. As soon as our eyes locked onto each other on the dance floor, we were inseparable the entire night and danced the whole time. At the end of the night we said our goodbyes and went out separate ways but always remembered the special time we had together that night. A few months passed and Prom was coming up but neither of us had a date at the time. I remembered how much fun we had at Homecoming and texted Erica asking her if she wanted to go to Prom as friends and she said yes. We started hanging out a lot more a few weeks before the dance to pick out matching colors for our outfits and to just hang out to get to know each other more. We hit it off and have been inseparable ever since!
Jordan planned a nice weekend trip in Joshua Tree, I was so wrapped up in my work I didn't have time to dig into any details and was happy to get out without any questions. On a Friday afternoon, we drove up to a cute airbnb which was in the middle of Joshua Tree. On Saturday morning we hiked the trails in Joshua tree and enjoyed the sun and sights. Jordan told me we had plans for dinner at a steak house and I was excited! We went back to the airbnb and got ready for dinner. As I was getting ready for dinner a lady knocked on our door and Jordan told me they were looking for a different airbnb (little did I know who she was!). We started driving to dinner and I noticed that Jordan didn't have any directions on to the steak restaurant so I asked him how he knew where he was going. He smiled and said he had a private chef coming to make us dinner. I was excited and still had no clue what he truly had planned. We drove around and went to a store we had passed up earlier in the day and finally made our way back to the airbnb. When we pulled up, I saw a beautiful set up, a photographer/videographer hiding in bushes (lol), and I instantly started crying tears of joy. We walked up to the beautiful set-up and Jordan got on one knee and read his beautiful proposal. Of course I said yes and instantly started calling all of our friends and family to share the news. Later I found out the lady knocking on the door was the event planner that put the whole set up together and that Jordan really did have a private chef come make us dinner after the proposal. It was a dreamy night! The next morning Jordan said there's another surprise and our closest friends Marcelo and Ardelia show up with some celebratory champagne and breakfast. We then drove home to another surprise, our families were there to greet us and celebrate our engagement! It was a joyful weekend during such a stressful time and I had no clue it was happening whatsoever!