We are getting married!

We first met in 2015 through a mutual friend. I reached out to Ryan in November of 2019, when I substituted for Aiden's class in Kindergarten. It was quite funny...I sent him a picture of Aiden and he had no clue how I was with his son. However, the timing for us just wasn't right. We both had different things going on in each others lives. Soon after, March of 2020, Ryan's Maw-Maw passed away. I reached out to Ryan sending my condolences and we started texting. I asked Ryan, if bringing over one of my puppies would cheer Aiden up and distract him for a little bit after losing his Maw-Maw. I brought Lola over to play and cheer him up. There was something about us when we rekindled, it was like we instantly clicked. We started talking and we've been attached at the hip ever since and now the rest is history. Something that really stood out to me is that Ryan has always said "I was his last gift from his Maw-Maw to him".

I have always been told in life "When you know, you know" and wow did it just hit me one day. March of 2021 was when I knew Kayla Prince was the one. We went on a trip to Puerto Rico which confirmed to me that I wanted to marry this girl and have her in my life forever. I have always loved her and appreciated everything she does for Aiden and I. Between my motorcycle accident, to my multiple surgeries, to learning how to walk again, all of this really took an impact on my eyes to see that everything I've always wanted in life was right there in front of me. Kayla never left my side, she really is the joy to my heart and love of my life. She is the most selfless, loving and caring person I know. I decided to start shopping for a ring. Her ring jumped right out at me and I knew this was the ring for her. I didn't need to look any further, this was THE ring. I am more of the traditional type and wanted Kayla's families blessing before I asked. They were very supportive and gave me the go ahead to ask. Now for the hard part, keeping all of this a secret from her. I wanted this to be a total surprise, her to have absolutely no clue as to what was going on. Throughout the following months, I searched and searched for the perfect spot. I had to find the perfect location, decorations, photographer and videographer. While I wanted this to be a private moment for Kayla and I, I wanted to be able to celebrate afterwards with family and close friends. Now to start my top secret mission... I started creating a video slide show of us throughout the years. Gathering all of the pictures was one of my favorite parts because it brought back so many amazing memories that we've shared over the years. Most importantly, I wanted the video to be straight from my heart to show Kayla how much she truly means to me. I decided on the Ballantyne Resort and knew it was perfect because I was able to turn one of the best days of our lives into a weekend celebration.

Ryan left the house saying him and Aiden were going to go play catch with his Dad. I was getting ready to go to dinner with my Mom and 2 out of town friends... or at least I thought. My Mom came inside our house and tried fixing my hair. She told me to put on jewelry because it was a nicer restaurant. I thought we were having dinner at the Gallery Restaurant inside the Ballantyne Resort. Once we got there she said we had to wait for them to finish getting ready. As we are sitting in the lobby waiting for them my Mom excused herself to the bathroom but came back and got my phone saying she wanted to show Tonya something. My thoughts were this is very weird why would Tonya be in the bathroom waiting for her? Some lady came out and got me saying "Ms. Prince please come this way". I said "I'm waiting to go to dinner with my Mom and friends they will be right back". She proceeded to say "they are waiting for me at the restaurant and told me to go up the stairs" so I did. The stairs were covered in rose petals lined on both sides with candles and pictures of Ryan and I. It still didn't sink in what was going on. As I turned the corner, a video was playing that Ryan had made for me. The video showed pictures of us and our family, with Ryan talking about how much he loved me, why he wanted to marry me, our journey and how I was the missing piece to their family. At the end of the video he told me to go the balcony, so I stopped crying, wiped my tears and went to the balcony. As soon as I opened the doors to the balcony, my stomach flooded with butterflies. My heart was racing and all I could do was smile. There was Ryan getting down on one knee, as he started telling me how much he loved me and asked me to marry him... I said "YES"! After we had our moment, he had me open a different door a than I came out of which led to our family and friends shooting off confetti cannons, hugging and congratulating us! It was so perfect, Ryan had thought of every detail. He even had a photographer there to capture this special moment. We went to take some pictures with the photographer before going to dinner at the resort with our family and friends...which we all agreed was the best food we have ever had. After dinner, we thanked everybody for coming and being a part of our special day. Ryan planning every detail he had reserved a room for us to stay the night.