We're getting married!

We worked together at Tobey-Kendel Dining Hall at the University of Northern Colorado. Hannah was obviously interested in spending time with Carlos, who was mysterious, handsome, and funny. Carlos obviously wanted to spend time with Hannah, who oozed kindness and a sparkling sense of humor. So we started spending time together, and we quickly became best friends.

After watching Harry Potter together, Carlos thought he should introduce Hannah to The Lord of the Rings, so he asked her if she'd like to watch it together. And so they did. Mid movie they whipped up some delicious Halloween funfetti cupcakes. It was a simple and perfect first date. Hannah, being who she is, fell asleep halfway through the movie. Little did Carlos know, she would do the same thing during every movie they watched together for the rest of their lives. At least he knew what he was getting into on the first date.

Both of us have always loved bulldogs. We used to just look at pictures of bulldogs for fun. I would even send Carlos pictures of this adorable bulldog that frequently visited the bench outside my job to make him jealous. Then one day, the owner of that same adorable bulldog came into the restaurant to order a salad and ask me if I wanted the bulldog, to keep forever. I hurried home and made a PowerPoint presentation for Carlos with all of the reasons we should get Rocko. Carlos interrupted my very convincing and thorough speech to say that we're obviously getting him. It was the best decision we've ever made. Rocko has brought so much joy to our lives and has helped us mature into the team that we are today. We can't imagine life without him, he's the best addition to our family.

We were enjoying the most amazing day in Hawaii when Carlos proposed. We started the day with spontaneous tide pooling and a trip to the farmers market. After buying some Hawaiian shirts and delicious tropical fruit, we headed to the beach. We had the most lovely, relaxing, rainy beach day on Punalu'u Beach. The dark black sand was gorgeous, sea turtles were everywhere, and the constant drizzle was calming. After a delicious dinner, we were settling down at the condo with our nightly reading when Carlos surprised me with a book for us to read together. It was The Lord of the Rings, which was perfect since we watched The Lord of the Rings on our first date and every year since on our anniversary. But when I opened the book, it was hollowed out with a ring inside. It said "Will you marry me?" It was the perfect ending to a perfect day.