Grant was my first friend I met in college. We met at orientation for UGA and a few weeks later after moving in, we realized we lived two floors apart in the same freshmen dorm. We quickly became good friends for our first semester. I friendzoned him very hard and Grant had the privilege to listen to me talk about all of the guys I was interested in for seven months. Through an incredible feat, Grant managed to get out of the friendzone in our second semester and we started dating on February 26th, 2015. Only 2270 days later, we are FINALLY getting married!
I was given few guidelines: nails done, private, a surprise. Time to plan the strategy. After many bad ideas, I heard my parents talking about a trip to Hilton Head. Perfect, the place where Elizabeth and I have gone on many vacations together. I know the place and the date. First step, get the blessing. I spoke with her dad, mom, and brother. Blessings received, fantastic! The second step, find the ring for the queen. We shopped around, always thinking we found the one. Finally, we did. I bought it right then and there, while Elizabeth wasn’t paying attention. It’s all coming together. Then, it happened. I stood in the dugout closet of the Gwinnett Stripers reading a text. She knew I had the ring, knew I was going to propose, and telling me not to because she wanted a surprise. My heart dropped, my dreams shattered, my tempers flared. How could this happen? Can the plan still work? I will make this work! I called Devon, and we came up with a plan to trick Elizabeth into thinking I wasn’t proposing at Hilton Head: I bought the ring and was going to propose, but it won’t be ready due to customizations. She took the bait. The quest continues! It turns out an employee where I bought the ring slipped the news. So, I marched back demanding answers. I left after many apologies with an additional sapphire ring. Proposal day is here. We are about to head to the beach before dinner, but the bride-to-be is suspicious. Before we get ready, I look her dead in the eye, lay on a tone so convincing and say, “I hope you aren’t expecting anything to happen.” Check mate. We arrive at the beach, slowly watching the sun go down. I gave her the sapphire ring and then a book I made of our memories. Maybe she is expecting it now? Wait for it. We get up and walk away. I stop, she turns and gives me a look. I throw the beach chairs down, drop to a knee, and propose. SHE SAID YES! VICTORY! Now that we are engaged, the wedding awaits. Our new life together awaits. Our adventure awaits.