10.02.21

Our story begins in March, 2020. Ryan had just returned from his annual ski trip, and wanted to deliver some chocolates to the family that had watched his cat, Peanut. While trying to coordinate a time to deliver those chocolates, the family offered to set Ryan up with a "very sweet, young lady" named Jacquie. Hesitant yet hopeful, Ryan decided to meet this girl, and on March 15th a quick chocolate delivery turned into a full on spaghetti dinner. Two days later on March 17th, they planned to meet up for dinner at Chick-fil-a after work. However, Chick-fil-a had just announced that due to the imminent pandemic, they were drive-thru only. Unwilling to let that deter them, Jacquie and Ryan went through the drive-thru and then ate dinner at Jacquie's house. The following Saturday, March 21st, Ryan invited Jacquie to his apartment to play board games. It was during this date that the two really started to feel a connection. The following Tuesday, March 24th, they watched a movie (Disney's "The Black Cauldron") at Ryan's apartment after work. The very next day, Texas went into lockdown. Although Ryan and Jacquie were no longer able to meet in person, they were still able to bond over texts and FaceTime.

The entire state of Texas was under mandatory quarantine orders, and Jacquie and Ryan did not know when they would be able to see each other in person again. Before the shutdown Ryan had told Jacquie about his favorite book series, The Chronicles of Prydain. Jacquie quickly ordered the first book, and they started a "quarantine book club" to keep in touch. On April 1st, they had their first FaceTime call, which quickly became a regular thing. Their conversations ranged from books to families to work and adjusting to the pandemic, and each call seemed to last longer and longer. By this point, Jacquie was waiting for Ryan to talk about making their relationship official. But Ryan, knowing the importance of such a decision, wanted to wait until they could see each other in person again. Eventually Ryan felt he couldn't wait any longer, and on April 17th they talked about their feelings for each other and officially became boyfriend and girlfriend. It was an interesting experience trying to date while in quarantine, but they made it work with frequent FaceTime calls and virtual dinner dates.

On May 1st, Texas lifted its mandatory quarantine orders, and Ryan and Jacquie spent an entire weekend together, finding COVID-friendly ways to spend time together. They went for a hike and had their first kiss, then got dressed up for a candlelight dinner of store-bought lasagna in Ryan's apartment. Over the coming months, they spent more and more time together. Over Memorial Day Weekend, Ryan met Jacquie's sisters, and met the rest of her family in the coming weeks. Over the Fourth of July Weekend, Ryan took Jacquie down to the Houston area to meet his family. Both Ryan and Jacquie were immediately accepted and welcomed by each other's families, which only cemented their belief that they were meant for each other. On October 2nd, Ryan and Jacquie flew out to the east coast to visit Jacquie's grandparents in Delaware and her friend in Virginia. It was their first major trip together, and it ended up making their bond even stronger. When after spending ten days together they still weren't tired of each other, it should have been seen as a sign that this relationship was meant to be, but it would still be another month before they brought up the subject of marriage. Jacquie and Ryan had always been dating with the intent to marry, but also knew that marriage was not something to rush into. They wanted to take their time and be 100% sure they were right for each other. Ryan had suggested they have a talk after Christmas about whether or not they felt ready for marriage. But circumstances changed.

November 1st was the day Jacquie decided Ryan was the one she wanted to marry. After expressing his initial distaste in Jacquie's plan to put up her Christmas tree the day after Halloween, Ryan embraced the Christmas spirit and arrived at her house with extra Christmas lights and a maroon A&M Santa Hat ready to celebrate. Jacquie had previously twisted her ankle and the excitement of putting up Christmas decorations had irritated her injury, so Ryan let her rest on the couch while he made homemade chicken gnocchi soup. It wasn't until a week later, November 8th, that Jacquie asked Ryan how he felt about marriage. The question caught Ryan off guard, as he had been putting off the decision until Christmas, but he quickly realized that he already knew his answer: Jacquie was without a doubt the one for him. In the following weeks Ryan put together a plan for a proposal. He wanted to propose around Christmas, but there was no guarantee the ring would be ready by then. On December 23rd, Ryan and Jacquie drove up to Richardson for a night with Jacquie's siblings. Ryan managed to pick up the ring that day without Jacquie suspecting anything. Later on, Jacquie's brother-in-law announced that he had to run out and pick up a last-minute Christmas gift. Ryan offered to go with him, and they drove to a nearby park to set up the proposal. Back at the house, Jacquie's sister suggested they go for a walk. Still not suspecting a thing, Jacquie agreed. When they arrived at a pond by the park, Ryan popped out from behind a tree and asked Jacquie if she wanted to go for a walk just the two of them. Caught completely by surprise, Jacquie agreed, and the two walked around the pond. It wasn't until she saw a blanket decorated with candles, Christmas garland, and a framed timeline of their relationship thus far. They paused, then Ryan got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and asked one simple question: "Will you marry me?" Through many tears, Jacquie managed a choked up "Yes!"