Our first date wasn’t exactly dinner and a movie, which was honestly automatic points from the start. JD invited me to a little friendly competition of pickleball at Dreamland. It was on. From the very first serve, I knew he was going to see the real me — competitive, a bit of spice, and not afraid to talk a little trash. (Let’s not get into who actually won multiple games. That’s still a very sensitive subject... for me.) Weeks later JD admitted that he picked pickleball for a reason: if things didn’t go well, he could nicely end the date right there. However, that’s nowhere close to how our day would unfold. One game of pickleball, turned into game after game, and then turned into lunch together. Conversation flowed so easily, time disappeared, and before I knew it, he was asking if I wanted to keep the day going. Next stop: Treaty Oak. Cornhole, good drinks, more laughter — and maybe even a shot at redemption. (For the record, I’m pretty sure I redeemed myself, but JD would absolutely argue otherwise. Choose your side.) What started as a casual game of pickleball turned into a nine-hour first date. We laughed until our cheeks hurt, asked real questions, shared stories that mattered, and uncovered things in each other that felt rare — integrity, passion for growth and leadership, and a deep understanding of life’s journeys. We only stopped talking because Treaty Oak literally closed and kicked us out. By the time he walked me to my car, I had missed countless calls and texts from friends who were worried that my “quick first date” had turned into an entire day and into the evening. It was in those first nine hours that I began getting to know the man of my dreams, and realized there was something about him that I had never experienced before. Insider information: Our second date stood toe-to-toe with our first date. Another 9 hours.

JD proposed to me on our trip to Canada, as we explored the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. We were walking across the suspension bridge, high among the treetops when JD decided that was the moment. I was completely clueless, as I was pulling out my giant selfie stick (the one JD had teased me about and told we weren’t using on the trip, yet was actually always willing to). It was beautiful up there, and there was no way we weren't getting a picture up there. As I fiddled with the selfie stick, JD secretly handed his phone to a stranger with the instruction to “just keep taking pictures.” I thought we were simply posing for a photo, me now awkwardly trying to hide the giant selfie stick, when JD turned toward me, got down on one knee, and said: “You are the best friend I’ve ever had, and I want to spend my life with you. Will you marry me?” I snatched that ring up so fast, partly out of pure joy, partly out of fear of dropping it into the trees below! I was shaking and laughing all at once. Meanwhile, the stranger JD recruited kept clicking away and even switched to video, capturing me blurting out, “Do you know this guy?!” It was perfect, unexpected, and completely us. Throughout this trip, I was continually reminded of and got to see exactly who JD is — steady, kind, and strong. It was the easiest "yes" I have ever said that June day, and I cannot wait to say "yes!" again in front of our family on friends on December 4th.