¡Nos vamos a casar!

David and I first met in 2022. I was in college finishing my student teaching at CWU in Ellensburg to become a certificated teacher in Washington. Meanwhile, he was stationed at JBLM in Tacoma as an officer in the Field Artillery Batallion. Funny enough, we did meet online and David made the crazy move of making a 2-hour drive down to Ellensburg to take me on a date and meet for the first time. From that first date, we both knew it was only the beginning. I still recall seeing him with the cheesiest smile as I walked toward him in the parking lot. He held a bouquet of my favorite flowers and opened the door for me the first time, he has always paid attention to the little things. By the end of our first date, we had already planned our next, and in no time, David asked me to be his girlfriend. Soon after, David was driving over two hours to come and see me in Yakima since I got my first teaching position further away from him. Many would think he might have strong opinions, concerns, or comments since I would be further away from him, rather than closer. However, nothing would stop this man from showing up for me. Not the weather, his extremely demanding job or even feeling tired. Any weekend he could, he would always drive down with the biggest smile on his face and he would always receive me with open arms. Seeing each other was always the highlight of our weekends and our love kept growing. There was not a moment where he did not demonstrate pure excitement at seeing me. David and I from early on were well aware of not just an instant connection, but that we complimented each other very well. David has always done everything he can to support and encourage me, and we never let the physical distance become a barrier as we knew it would only be temporary. Soon enough, it was Winter of 2023 and David unexpectedly said we should go on Vacation together. We went to a relaxing resort in Cancun and had a lot of fun together. Somehow, I was completely clueless about his plans all along. On the night of December 28th, David planned a beautiful and romantic dinner on the beach. He had made sure to iron my dress, that I had enough time to finish getting ready, and that everything was in order according to his plan. That was the night he proposed to me. I vividly recall our waiter clearing off our dinner plates from the table and leaving to bring dessert next. Suddenly, David stood up, went around the table, and got down on one knee as he reached into his pocket. I was speechless! From all the beautiful things he shared to the gorgeous ring he held in front of me, I could not believe it was happening right there at that moment. In a matter of minutes, I said yes (yes minutes, I was so shocked and wordless after everything David had shared that he had to make sure I was okay haha). From that day forward, we have changed many things in our lives to come closer together. We have grown and continue to help each other become a better version of ourselves. We have already experienced so much together and our love for one another continues to grow as we prepare for our special day. One of the biggest things we have learned since we found one another is that home is not a place, we are each other's home and the moment our arms hold one another, we are complete and safe. We are counting down the days until we can call each other husband and wife. We look forward to our future together and are so happy that we will be able to share one of the most important days of our life with those who matter the most to us, our family.