Our story began with the pursuit of higher education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2015. By a stroke of luck and a little grace from God we were paired within our freshman college orientation group. We soon discovered we were in the same major, at the time nursing, which we both eventually grew out of. Little did we know on that fateful day the great friendship that was to develop in the months and years to come. As we continued our college journey, we became closer as friends and supported each other in every class we had together. In the summer of 2016, Jonathan realized that he could no longer stand to just be friends. On August 30, 2016, he asked me on a date to go ice skating at Planet Ice. I had only gone ice skating once before, so I was worried about falling and looking ridiculous. Jonathan held my hand until I could catch my balance and skate on my own. After a few laughs, quite a bit of hand holding, we skated off into the beginning of our newfound relationship with relative ease. Since then, we have overcome many adversities and the turbulence of some of our most formative years as young adults while growing closer together in many dimensions. The world may throw many challenges our way but at the end of the day our patience, love, and kindness for one another never fails. Today, we have been engaged since July 2020 and cannot wait to experience the blessings and joys of marriage.

As we witnessed the flurry of “bombs bursting in air” whilst tail gating in Rockport, Texas, I could hardly keep a smile from creeping on to my face. I glanced over at Jonathan as we swung our feet off of the tailgate and noticed he was smiling from ear to ear. I asked why he was staring at me so intently and he responded with “because you are beautiful, and I love to see you happy”. Little did I know what was about to happen! A few moments later, a dark leather wallet plopped down at my feet. I glanced below to see what had happened and immediately turned away thinking nothing of it as another volley of fireworks illuminated the sky with a mirage of contrasting neon blues and reds. Shortly thereafter, I noticed Jonathan was down on one knee beside me. I immediately responded with cries of joy and my heart sped away as if being pulled by the fireworks trailing in the distance. He grabbed my hand with gentleness while presenting the ring and said in short, “I promise to always love you even through the highs and lows of life. Will you marry me?” I responded with a yes of course! I could not think of a future without him!