A little over five years ago, I met my match. It was a cool February night in Seal Beach, excited, anxious, and curious about this woman I have never met, but have been corresponding with for the last couple months. We agreed to meet for dinner at 320 Main in downtown Seal Beach. When I arrived, I found her leaning against brick storefront, looking like the photo she sent me, but even better! She had the most beautiful long brown hair, amazing eyes and looking very sexy in her jeans and boots. I was excited, and we exchanged hugs before going into the restaurant. After sitting down we ordered dinner and a drink, then we talked, and talked and talked.. We discussed our work, kids, life, dating, family, and music. Being that it was a first date, I was planning to keep it light. You know, small talk. But we quickly went deep! The connection was apparent, and we were having a wonderful time. After a couple hours we decided to continue our date and check out some local music. We drove to the Prospector, an eclectic western themed music venue/dive bar in Long Beach. We did not know who was playing or what this bar would be like. But that really did not matter, I was only keen on one thing – getting to know Justine better. A local artist named Michael Cartwright was playing with his band. Michael’s voice was alluring and his playing was unique, contributing to the overall sultry atmosphere. We saddled up to a cocktail table near the stage, our seats were close together and we touched for the first time. It was magical.. Cartwright's hypnotic melodies were perfect and so was she. I reached for her hand and she did not hesitate. And so it began..

My whole life, I never knew if I wanted to be married. I always knew I wanted kids but marriage not so much. That is until I met Ethan. About two years into our relationship I knew he was "The One" and I started to contemplate marriage. By year 3 and after me and the kids had moved in with Ethan and his girls, I knew I wanted marriage with this man. So after multiple conversations and finally coming to a place I never thought I would regarding marriage, I began to grow impatient when there was no proposal. In September of 2017 my brother Sean planned a big family trip to Italy. I had thoughts that Italy would be the perfect place to get engaged, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. It was a really rainy day in Venice and the only day it rained our entire trip. We all went on a walking tour of Venice and were drenched. When we got back to our Villa all I wanted to do was curl up under some warm blankets and drink hot cocoa. But instead I got dressed for an evening out with my honey. Ethan asked my brother if he could watch the kids while we had some alone time, and told me about it the night before, so out we went. We walked the alleys looking for a certain wine bar Ethan had read about. It was really hidden and hard to find. It was very cool inside and we ordered wine and appetizers before we got kicked out at 7pm so they could set up for dinner. We walked out onto the courtyard right off the canal and enjoyed the view and snapped a few photos. Then Ethan took me to the center of the courtyard and under a big umbrella he popped the question. I don't remember anything he said or even looking at the ring. All that mattered in that moment was we both wanted the same thing....to be married to each other. Of course, the ring was stunning and perfect :) I asked him, "does anyone else know about this"? He said, "yes, everyone". I was so surprised that not one person, including the kids, gave even a sign of anything about to happen. It was a magical surprise.