It all started with a sabbath lunch on the campus of Andrews University. My girls and I had just come from worship at New Life SDA Church and we were deciding on where to eat. My dear friend Melissa mentioned that a group of students from Oakwood University came to visit and a friend that she attended Pine Forge Academy with was one of those students. She suggested that we should all have sabbath lunch at the cafe together. ...Turns out Cory Mclean was that friend!

After months of getting to know each other via skype, FB & phone calls, we had decided to finally meet up. My friends &I made the trip down to Oakwood for Alumni Weekend. Cory told me he'd pick me up and we would go to Big Spring Park nearby. Time quickly passed and oh man was I nervous!!! Like palm sweating, rehearsing my lines, about to cancel last minute..nervous. Cory finally arrived and his embrace instantly eased my nerves. We spent all night walking & talking around the park. Picking each other's brains, laughing, and genuinely enjoying each other's company. (I would also like to mention that it was pretty chilly out; so hours in a cold park? Clearly I was interested in this guy 🙂) It was like I had known him for my entire life. We just clicked.

That morning Cory took me out to a plethora of amazing places around DC. On our way back from one of them, Cory surprised me with a gorgeous dress and mentioned that we would be going to a fancy dinner. An excuse to get all dolled up?! You got it! After getting ready, we drove to Meredian Park and began to walk through it because Cory insisted on it being an excellent short cut to the restaurant. With my sandals on and heels in Corys hand, we rush through the entryway of the park because we were late for our 6pm reservation. As we walked, I took in the breathtaking scenery. Eventually we stopped & we took our customary selfies in the middle of the park. In the midst of our narcissistic selfie session, Cory began to talk about our relationship and how much he cared. As he was speaking, I noticed a very weird look on his face that I had never seen before. That's when my mind started to put all the details of the day together. Cory INSISTING for me to get my nails done..the beautiful dress..the fancy dinner reservation, the beautiful scenery of this park and now the look on Corys face. At that moment Cory got down on one knee and proposed! I, of course, was a crying mess! After the proposal, a woman with a professional camera came up to us and yelled "surprise!!!". Unbeknownst to me, Cory had a secret photographer capture every single moment. From us walking around the park, all the way up to the actual proposal. She even proceeded to say that Cory set up a whole photoshoot session! So for the next hour, we captured the very first moments on our journey to forever. Our journey to Mr. and Mrs. McLean.