We’re getting married!

I used to wish that Christopher and I had a romantic story about how we met. You know – a cute meet straight out of The Holiday. I have never shared the story of how we met online but now that our wedding weekend is months away, thought now would be a good time to share it. Why? Because dating (especially in your 30s) is not easy, and these stories are the ones that need to be told.

It was the middle of spring 2021. I had awoken to the reality that I would not meet the love of my life by running into them at the gas station or a cute meet from a movie. I always imagined that the man of my dreams would see me pumping gas, hair blowing, walk up and ask me on a date. Are you laughing yet? I don’t blame you. In summer 2021, I had sworn off dating and was convinced that either I was too picky or what I was looking for was just not out there for me. (I am sure the Maker upstairs was just a-laughing at me at this point - clearly patience was not my strong suit at that time)

If you are not familiar with Facebook, you’re able to post a “story”. This was nothing out of the ordinary for me as I would post life updates, quotes, and "selfies". One day, an actual gentleman chose to respond to one of those stories was with something along the lines of "you are gorgeous. Im not sure if you are single or if this is too forward but I wouldn’t mind taking you on a date” I looked at his profile, which we had clearly became friends after a good research at some point. He seemed normal enough and I thought he was cute, looked like a hands-on dad, but assumed, like every other guy, that he “wasn’t looking for anything serious” (news flash: he wasn’t at the time) but thought I’d go out with him anyway. So, I replied: “I am single, it’s not too forward, and you wouldn’t mind, or you would love to?” We spent hours on hours talking through texting and stayed up to early morning talking on the phone getting to know each other’s pasts, flaws, highs, lows, and everything in between. We were raw and laid it all out there.

To this day, I remember the first time my eyes connected with his. I just “knew.” In that moment, I understood what our elders meant by that puzzling statement I used to question. We had met at a local park to walk around and look at the scenery and talk. We had plans to eat at a steak house for dinner, but this girl was not interested in an hour and a half wait after walking and building up an appetite. We ended up getting dinner at a high-end Mexican restaurant and the food was not very great, but the conversation flowed continuously which was more important. Afterwards, we went to a Walmart parking lot and sat and talked until an ungodly hour in the night like we were teenagers all over again. We had to force ourselves to separate and go home. The magnetic bond was so strong and something I had never felt before, and neither of us wanted to be away from each other after that. I heard from him the next day and the following weekend we made plans again. And the rest was history. We have been inseparable ever since.

Fast forward to November 2022, we decided to plan a cruise trip together. At some point, my coworker said "A cruise to the bahamas? The 2 of you? Do you think he will propose?" I had not even had a slight thought if that was going to be the case. I responded "I don't think so". I began looking for cues but could not even remotely pick up on anything that would lead to engagement so I shrug it off. Come February 2023, we were finally on our trip to the Bahamas. Our time came where we were docked and when we got off the ship, Chris asked me to stand there and took a picture of me. I thought "well that was wierd, he never takes pictures of me like that. Maybe he IS going to propose??" One of the excursion men was offering horse carriage rides. Chris says "let's do that". I am thinking, "oh my gosh, this is it! I should have put make up on and wore something cuter than a t-shirt and sport shorts!" The whole ride, I am nervous and battling the thought that maybe he'd propose. And then the ride comes to an end. I immediately told myself "if he was going to do it, it would have been then. Relax, he is definitely NOT going to propose to you on this trip". A few hours later we walk to see the beaches. On our way, we stop and are admiring the water at the docks. Chris asked me to prop up my phone to take a picture of the 2 of us, so I happily accepted the photo opp. We posed and smiled, and I went to review our results. When I turned around, Chris was there asking me "So, do you want to marry me?" I believe my exact first words were "Oh my gosh!! It's so pretty!!" He said "So is that a yes?" To which I replied "Yes that's a yes! I'm shaking!" I was in absolute shock that this man actually pulled off hiding all of this, and more in shock that he wanted to keep me forever. A sweet, intimate, uncaptured moment, just the two of us, in the Bahamas. A memory I will personally hold near and dear to my heart until my last breath.