We're finally doin' the damn thing!

On January 23, at one of the finest establishments in Mission Viejo, Patsy's (dive) Bar, Cody walked in and caught Kristen's eye immediately - kinda hard not to notice someone that tall, dark and handsome. After spending the night trying to get his attention, Kristen noticed Cody walking toward her and anxiety took over as she awkwardly stared up at him and said, "My name is Kristen Dillon. Do I know you?" Later that night, on the way through a Del Taco drive-thru, Kristen asked her DD and best friend, "who the hell is Cody boo-eej-nik" (seriously, who the hell would know how to say that last name without knowing?) after receiving a friend request on good ol' FB and her friend replied "that guy from the bar you couldn't stop trying to get to notice you!" ... A few FB messages later, the texts started, we went to a Duck's game and we've been together ever since.

After quite a few times of Kristen's heart racing, thinking she was about to be asked one of the most important questions of her life... it finally happened. Not in Dallas at the Cowboys stadium, not in Palm Springs, not in Zion, not during the solar eclipse, not on her birthday, not on his birthday or on any vacation they've been on but on a Tuesday. Halloween is one of Kristen's favorite holidays and after telling Cody how bummed out she was because she didn't feel like Halloween was going to be fun and festive - Cody figured out a way to make it the best Halloween ever. Wearing her bat costume, Kristen jumped in the car with Cody when he picked her up and thought they were going to go to a few bars along the coast. Heading down to Dana Point, Cody said they should check out a bar at a hotel towards the end of a block. Walking toward a gazebo to take a minute to look at the harbor covered in Kristen's favorite overcast weather, she realized there were hay bails and pumpkins and flowers - it took her a little longer to figure out that the pumpkins were carved with, "Will You Marry Me?" Their life together seemed to start all over again in that moment, with hearts fuller than they'd ever been.