We’re getting married!

In May 2014, Steven and I met when I moved into my new townhouse in Tallahassee. Steven lived next door and regularly worked on his motorcycle in the front yard while I regularly needed to walk Mr. Miller around the neighborhood (even though we had a large, fenced in backyard). Steven and I hit it off and found ourselves spending everyday together and started dating by September. By the following March, after a night on the town, I blurted out how much I loved Steven and he, of course, agreed!

2018 was an eventful year for both Steven and I. I had started the year in a new school based counseling position and Steven transition from firefighting to the police force in Chattahoochee. By July 2018, Steven and I purchased his family home and began planning our future together. In September, after months of pneumonia, Steven was rushed to Shands Hospital in Gainesville where he was diagnosed with heart failure and hospitalized for 17 days. Two weeks after his return home, Hurricane Micheal devastated our community, leaving us without power for weeks and leaving our loved ones without homes. During the aftermath of the storm, Steven and I both lost our jobs and began feeling defeated. Finally, by December, I accepted a wonderful job offer counseling young adults in Gulf and Calhoun county and Steven was cleared to return to work at the police department!

New Years Eve we were invited to Nicole and Jeffery’s home (our wedding venue and Stevens childhood home) for a NYE party! We were excited to celebrate surviving 2018 and the great things to come in 2019. At 11:30, the music suddenly stopped and it seemed that the whole party was surrounding me. Steven grabbed my hand, got down on one knee, and promised to love me forever. I cried a lot and of course, said YES!! Now we cannot wait to celebrate our love with our friends and family on May 18th.