Don't be late, we can't wait to celebrate!

During the fall semester of our senior year of college, I went to Washington D.C. for a long weekend to visit one of my best friends from college. I was crazy busy with school work and applying to OT graduate schools and it was nice to get away! I was getting ready to go out for ladies night and Slate came over with a couple of his friends. We parted ways to two different bars that night. The next night, I was so excited to finally get to talk to Slate. Our first conversation together was like a game of 20 questions! We spent the remaining of the weekend exploring Washington DC and getting to know one another! When I was getting ready to leave for the airport, Slate asked me "Do you know your phone number?" I gave Slate my phone number and while waiting at the airport, I received my first text message from Slate! We continued to stay in touch through various phone calls and text messages. Fast forward to January 2015, we reunited in New Hampshire and finally made it "official" The rest is history!

On April 13th Katelyn and I met up with my sister, Takyra, and her soon-to-be fiancé Alan. We grabbed lunch and headed towards the Jefferson Memorial. To my dismay, there were almost ZERO cherry blossoms left anywhere around the Tidal Basin. Thankfully, like all good Eagle Scouts, I was prepared and knew there was a variety of cherry blossom trees that blossomed a week after the main trees. We set off around the Basin, everyone searching for blossoms while I searched for the perfect spot. As doubt slowly began to creep in, I finally spotted a patch of vibrant, beautiful fully in bloom cherry blossom trees, albeit not in the ideal location. We had to cross a street, and while doing so I made sure I was the last to cross, and as we crossed I deftly slipped the small bamboo box out of the locked compartment of my camera bag and into my back pocket. Once we all arrived on the other side of the street, I turned to Takyra and asked if she could take some photos of Katelyn and I among the cherry trees. As we posed for pictures, I finally seized the opportunity and got down after one knee, and the first thing Katelyn said to me was of course, NO! I was completely shocked and taken aback, but then I very quickly realized it was a no what is happening right now and not a No get lost kind of no! I launched into the question I had rehearsed a million times, and finally got the answer I was hoping for. Four and a half years later, we became engaged in the same wonderful city where our love first began to blossom!