We had crossed paths many times throughout the years, sharing mutual friends. We always knew of each other but a simple message reply to a photo started a conversation, which led to a friendship, and deciding to meet in person at a local bar (DAS). To cut the tension, we both brought friends along with us so it didn’t feel pressured like a ‘first date vibe’. Gina even had a code word ready with her friends to escape (just in case!). Immediately after meeting, there was a cosmic connection. The night was filled with laughter, effortless conversation, and a feeling that was something special. From the very beginning, Mike made Gina feel comfortable to be completely herself- something she knew that first night was rare and meaningful.

Last March we went on a vacation to Aruba to stay with his grandparents in their time share they have there. On the first full day they were there, I told Mike in the morning “go ahead and go to the beach with your grandparents I want to take my time getting up and ready for the beach” He jumped on the opportunity to have a head start and waited down at the beach for me. When I came down and sat there for a few minutes, Mike told me his grandfather wanted to take some photos of us by the rocks (which I didn’t think anything of, because his grandfather has a professional camera and is always snapping photos) so I said “Okay! Let’s go now before I get all wet and sandy!” Mike was acting a little off but I went with it, we walked over to the rocks and started posing for photos, his grandfather taking photos of us, Mike starting whispering in my ear how much he loved me and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.. before I knew it he was down on one knee with the most beautiful ring in his hand. I said yes! We celebrated our engagement the entire rest of our trip and were on cloud nine <3