'Tis the season to be married!

We met through a mutual friend who brought Ian to meet our husky puppy, Neela, in December of 2010. I remember thinking how cute Ian was. A few days later, we went sledding with friends who conspired to get us on a sled together, which tumbled over on the way down the hill; we shared a few awkward laughs and conversations. We spent New Year's Eve texting back and forth and went on our first date New Year's Day. After that, we were inseparable. We spent half of our first year as a couple apart. He was in the Army, and I was in college; this took a toll on us. We broke up while he was deployed to Cuba, and I was facing pressure to get into nursing school. We spent the next five years dating other people, messaging each other every once-in-a-while, and secretly hoping time would bring us back together. In February of 2017, we finally caught up over drinks at a local bar. We both felt there was still a spark there after all that time apart. Ian asked me to marry him at my parents' house October 19, 2019. I had worked all night and was too tired to get breakfast. He came over, and as we were lying in bed, pulled the ring out and asked me to marry him. I finally said "YES" after a lot of convincing that it was really happening and wasn't just a dream.