We’re getting married!

Maddie's version: I knew Jordan in high school, he was in the grade above me. We had a couple of mutual friends and I'd see him in the hallways from time to time, but I never really remember talking to him. The thing that sticks out in my mind the most is that I had the biggest all time crush on Jordan, but never thought anything would ever come of it. As some say the universe works in mysterious ways. It wasn't until 2016, a couple months after a long chapter in my life came to an end that I decided to put myself out there and try online dating. *Insert eye-roll and palm to face emojis here.* If you've had the experience of online dating then you know exactly what I mean. Then along came Jordan, him being the exception. Once our "match" was made, we immediately hit it off. Our first time talking on the phone brought me back to that giddy teenager feeling talking to your crush for hours on end over the phone. Over the course of 8 months Jordan asked me to be his girlfriend a couple of times, but I was honest with him that I wasn't ready. He was patience and understanding. It wasn't until after an amazing weekend away with Jordan and some friends at a music festival off the gulf shores of florida-bama that I decided to give in to my feelings for him and said yes when he asked me to be this girlfriend for the final time. Jordan's version: We met in high school, technically. Maddie was one of my first crushes, who I was never able to muster the confidence to ask out. Ten years later after a brief stint in the Air Force, an Associates, and two new ACLs, we matched on a dating site. Immediately I was smitten. I wanted nothing more than to court her. Unfortunately, she was coming out of a lackluster relationship of seven years, and after 2 months of dates; when I asked her to be my GF she said “No”. Taken aback, but still determined. I decided I would ask her again in a month. She said no to that one with the excuse that she just got out of a serious relationship and isn’t trying to rush into another one. Whereas I had been single for the last year and a half, I was ready. After “No" number two, the wind in my sails depleted, but as any sailor would say “I must go on.” Fast forward two months later around Christmas. I decided I would ask her again, except this time with a poem, and there is no way she can say “No” with a Christmas present and a poem. I need to say that it was a pretty damn good poem too. She did say yes but only to save face in front of my family, she would tell me later that it "isn't a yes but isn't a no either." So after two more no’s and a couple months later I finally got her to say yes, only after I took her to see the ocean for the first time. At the risk of sounding like a creep; yes she did say no 5 times, but I knew when I saw my high school crush had matched with me on that dating site, I knew I didn’t want to let her go. During the early stages it was evident she was going to become my favorite person. Now 6 years later she is still my favorite person and soon will become my one and only favorite wife, and a year or so later will become the one and only favorite mother of my children.

The title of this basically gives it away, but here is a little insight to the moments leading up to it. Let's rewind about 2 months before the proposal. September 2020 Jordan goes off on a boys trip with his best friends Cole and Chris to visit Connor, one of his other best friends, in California for 2 weeks. One night on the trip while having a couple of beers, Jordan and Cole come up with the "perfect way to propose" to Maddie. The next day Jordan and the boys go out on a mission to find a ring. The trip eventually comes to an end and Jordan flies back home to Maddie in Salt Lake City. Unbeknownst to Maddie, Jordan has hidden the ring and is just waiting for the day they get the keys to their new home. One thing to note about Maddie, not a lot gets by her and she is not big on surprises, but nonetheless the big moving day has come and she still has no clue what awaits her. It's the morning of the big moving day. Maddie's plans on just throwing on some work out clothes but after a sweet comment from Jordan saying "Babe, you're always the prettiest thing to me but maybe you should dress up a little for pictures." So she did just that. They packed up some small boxes in the car and drove over to the house. Before they could get a foot in the door they had to do the whole swing and dance of pictures and FaceTiming Maddie's family. So there they were at top of the steps of their newly purchased home getting ready to take pictures and out of the corner of Maddie's eye she noticed Jordan was holding something that looked to her like a small box. Before she could fully comprehend what was about to happen...Maddie's dad could be heard from the phone saying "ALRIGHT, JORDAN NOW!" Just like Jordan ceremoniously got down on one knee and nervously said "What do you say instead of being my girlfriend you be my wife?"