We're getting married!

We met on the softball diamond, of course! We were both playing on the same pickup team for a one day tournament in Mishawaka. As it ended up, we both played in the outfield next to each other. He didn't say much, just smiled a lot, but I made sure he knew that I was capable of catching a fly ball and not to get in my way, hah! He snuck in the background of a picture with some girlfriends that day so that he'd be tagged with me on Facebook, and we became Facebook friends shortly after that. A month or so later, after consulting with my best friend first, he slid into my DM and asked me on a date. I declined, because I already had plans that day, but we began talking and everything took off from there!

We met playing softball. I was new to the co-ed scene and was trying to make new local friends. However, when I met Brittany I was at a loss for words. She had me immediately with her purple hair and confidence on the field. Now, when I say a loss for words, I mean it. Usually, I can strike up a conversation with anyone, but I couldn’t find the right words with her, for fear of looking stupid. Ironically, I looked stupid by not saying anything! After our day on the softball diamond, I couldn’t stop thinking about her. So, after a week or two of building up the courage, I finally asked…her best friend about her. I got the scoop on this mysterious girl and found out that she was single and not really looking for anything necessarily. That meant it was the perfect time for me to ask her out! I crept on her Facebook and totally asked her out over Messenger. Smooth. She totally turned me down for the date but surprisingly, she kept in touch with me and we built a relationship online until we eventually hung out. I had the privilege of watching her play some more softball; I haven’t looked back since.

We were on a beautiful hike to Waipo’o Falls in Kaua’i, Hawai’i. It was a moderate 3 mile hike, with lots of shade and beautiful trees and views that we don’t get back here in Indiana. As we were getting closer and closer, we’d occasionally ask people passing by who were returning from the falls if we were headed in the right direction. One woman said, “Yes, you’re close. You’ll get to a point where you feel like you’re on top of the world, then stay to the left and the waterfall is just a little farther ahead from there”. So, we kept onward, and finally got to the “on top of the world” spot, it was so gorgeous! Just a big wide cliff with gorgeous views! There were a few other hikers in this general area, and I started taking pictures right away! I guess shortly after we had been up there, most of the other hikers had continued on and it seemed like it was just the two of us (I don’t remember that part, I wasn’t really paying attention to anyone else) I turned around to talk to John, or maybe he said my name, I don’t remember, and there he was, on one knee with a ring in his hand, and right there on top of the world, he asked me if I would marry him. I said yes with a huge smile, he slid (both) rings on, and we shared a long hug. Then, of course, I made him take some pictures with me! It was simple and beautiful and perfect, on top of the world. <3

My original plan was to actually ask Britt while we were in Alaska, but I wasn’t quite ready heading into the trip. However, I was granted another wonderful opportunity to ask her to marry me when we decided to crash a wedding in Hawaii! We spent three full days there and I had no plan whatsoever coming into this trip. All I knew was that I had the ring and I wasn’t missing the opportunity this time. I made sure to always have the ring on me in case I found a perfect spot with perfect timing. On the second day, we planned a hike and we were blessed to find a beautiful valley. While on our hike, we came upon a massive ledge overlooking the gorgeous valley. I knew this was it. My grand plan was to take the GoPro I had and set it up to record the proposal, but I was so excited/eager/nervous, that I completely blanked it. She had her back to me, overlooking the valley and I was ready! I got down on one knee and simply said, “Brittany”. She turned around and I asked, “Will you marry me?” Not the most romantic of speeches, but I had the ring in hand and she still said, “YES!!” The rest of that hike was a blur and I couldn’t stop smiling. Brittany had actually agreed to marry me!