By happenstance, we were both in Austin and mutual friends wanted to meet for drinks. When Cory got to Rainey Street with his friends, Lauren was already there, and we began discussing our love for hockey. When Lauren overheard Cory mention he was living in "Houston," she thought she'd finally found someone to share in watching the game. It turned out he didn't quite live in Houston (he was about an hour south in Lake Jackson), but the connection we had was so magnetic that the distance didn't matter. Through long phone calls and many hours in the car, our love story began.

Cory knew that Lauren's absolute favorite season of the year is the Texas wildflower season. We planned for months to take a trip to the Texas Hill Country to hike, swim, and camp while the flowers were abundant and the weather was still bearable. Following a day of doing such in Colorado Bend State Park, Cory and Lauren went back to their campsite. Having taken dance lessons for the past few months, Cory asked Lauren to waltz in the open meadow while she sang. Cory said he had a surprise and made Lauren turn around. When she looked again, he was on one knee. After he gave an eloquent speech, Lauren said, "You still have to ask me." We both cry-laughed, and he asked if she would make him the happiest man in the world by being his wife. And she said, "Of course."