To celebrate our third anniversary, I planned a getaway to Oahu for Rich and me—but I had a secret plan in the works. For months leading up to the trip, I’d been designing an engagement ring, complete with a proposal date engraved inside. As February 27th approached, I was growing more anxious about how I’d pull off a proposal without him suspecting a thing—especially since it’s nearly impossible to surprise him. That evening, we grabbed a drink at 808 Craft House near our hotel. I had decided sunset would be the perfect moment to pop the question—specifically at a quiet little cove nestled between Aulani Resort and the Four Seasons. I told Rich I wanted to catch the sunset by the lanterns at the Four Seasons, and he went along with it. But then—curveball—he took a detour into the Aulani gift shop. With the ring tucked away in my purse, I was quietly panicking, convinced we were going to miss the moment. He reassured me we had plenty of time. As we got closer to the beach, he noticed a door to the Four Seasons pool area slightly open and suggested we sneak in for a better view. We found a perfect spot between two palm trees in front of the pool. I played Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding—our song—and dropped to one knee. I had rehearsed the proposal in my head for months, but in that moment, everything I planned vanished. Somehow, I managed to say, “Will you marry me?” Silence. Literal crickets. I started to slide the ring on his left hand and stopped. “Wait… did you say yes?” He laughed and said, “Yes, yes of course.” And just like that, the rest is history.