Sandy toes and salty kisses!

After Chance messaged me on Hinge and we had talked a couple weeks, he finally asked me on an official date! We decided to meet on a Saturday so my parents could watch Evie and he chose the place - and he chose well! We met at a Mexican restaurant in between our houses called On The Border. I was so nervous! It was my first date in over a year. He was outside waiting for me as I pulled up and gave me a hug when I got to him. My first impression of him was he was so tall and handsome, and way too good looking for me! We got inside, ordered drinks and food and the conversation immediately started flowing. He was easy to talk to, there were no awkward pauses or looking for something to talk about. When dinner was over, neither of us wanted to leave, so he suggested we go across the street to Bourbon Street and play some games. So we did. I learned he had two kids, he learned I’m terrible at arcade games! Five hours later, at 2am, we decided we should probably head home. He did have to work the next morning! We hugged and parted ways. I smiled the entire way home, immediately texted my sister that something was different about this guy and I couldn’t wait to tell her about him when she got into town later that day!

So we had been talking about what we had both wanted out of this relationship, and marriage was on the table. Kylie being the project manager she is, she knew what she wanted and when she wanted it - there was no doubt in her mind that when the question was asked, she would say yes. The only thing holding me up was a ring. With a little help from her family and without Kylie's knowledge, I was able to get the ring custom made...and then the fun began! I already set the date for Christmas as I know this is Kylie's favorite holiday and that all the family would be there to witness it. With that said, she never knew I had the ring and kept suggesting ideas, designs and what she liked for MONTHS. I kept saying I needed to reach out to the ring designer, saying I had no money and messing with her to throw her off. All the while, the rest of the family, while kept in the dark, kept asking when I'd pop the question! I wanted to make this special and I know how much Kylie values family, travel and time together. So the idea of a video of our memories as family was a no brainer! While I was sick (not covid!), I used my phone to create the video - Kylie got so mad thinking I was playing games so much! It took about 2-3 weeks choosing the perfect pictures, songs and timing everything perfectly together. Finally, the day before Christmas Eve I was running around trying to get the video on a USB drive from my phone - which is more difficult than you'd think! With everything in place, I was ready. I took charge Christmas morning and handed out the gifts and placed my phone to video everything so we'd have her reaction. I was still nervous, even knowing she'd say yes. As we watched the video, I was holding the ring and even when the final song came on "Will You Marry Me?" Kylie still had no idea. I got down on one knee as the question popped up on the screen and as I knew it would be, she said "yes!" She hugged me, and the kids immediately tackled us - it was perfect.