We’re getting married!

Aaron and I met after our junior year of high school - in 2011! We were counselors in training together at Camp Tekoa in Hendersonville, NC, where we both had ties growing up. We clicked first as friends and remained that way until interest starting growing during our first year of college. Aaron came over for a New Years Eve party and he was the first one awake the next day. Thinking he was the last to wake up, he went downstairs where he sat and shared coffee with my parents and their dogs! It was clear that we were meant to be when our families showed up to the same restaurant in Ocean Isle Beach for dinner on our family beach weekends - we were seated right next to each other! (I was so embarrassed.) Aaron and I had already made plans to see each other later that night. We took a walk on the beach and the rest is history! After three years of long distance and visiting each other every other weekend, Aaron and I live now in Charlotte, NC, where he is a civil engineer for the City of Charlotte and I teach 8th grade language arts.

Having dated for over five years, I suspected that a proposal may be coming soon, especially as Aaron and I were talking and I realized that he had all sorts of newfound knowledge about engagement rings - clarity, cut, color... the whole nine yards! As Aaron says, "times were tough for surprising her." Aaron went on a walk one Saturday to Freedom Park, right down the road from our condo (we had both gone to the Adidas outlet and gotten new sneakers, so he was breaking them in). He then planned to make it seem like it was my idea to go on a walk there the following day. Sunday morning, we got lattes from our favorite local coffee shop, The People's Market, and headed on our way. I thought it was strange when he suggested we sit down on one of the benches, and I declined because it was in the sun. Finally, he got me to walk with him onto the bridge at the heart of the park, dropped to one knee, and proposed! It was simple and sweet and private and perfect. We spent some time calling and Facetiming family and friends, and had the most fun going to the Panthers game that afternoon!