Jake had been planning this proposal for years-- literally! We write letters to each other back-and-forth for special life events or just because, and Jake began starting his messages with the letters to spell out "Will you marry me?" on February 13, 2019 (*the question mark was not its own letter). Nearly 2.5 years later, our families came to visit (and meet for the first time!) at our home in Durham. Jake's dad distracted Jess with a trip to Whole Foods while the rest of the family worked to set up the house for Jess's arrival. Just as they were finishing preparations, it began to downpour! The candles were moved inside, and copies of Jake's letters from over the years were strung from the front to the back door. The lights were dimmed and Rachel taught Jake how to connect his phone to Alexa via Bluetooth so he could play Maggie Rogers's "Love You For a Long Time" (the piano version, which Jess originally found whiney but forced herself to love when Jake hinted he was going to propose to the song). Jess opened the front door to Rachel, the gracious hostess, telling her to leave her bags by the door. There was a raincoat on the dining room table, and Jake was waiting in the backyard under a tree outfitted with lights and a wooden swing (Bonnie's touch) to get down on one knee, holding a ring box he had literally hand-made himself (straight out of the Notebook). Jess didn't realize that the letters spelled out "will you marry me" until Jake told her later in the car, but he asked her the whole question in his final letter, so her "yes" still counts!