Ian was living in North Little Rock and was working as a software developer. Lauren had just recently moved to Little Rock and was working at a library. Both were tired of online dating but were willing to give it one last chance...
We matched early in December and met for coffee on the 18th. We were both nervous starting out, but, once we started talking, the time flew by. Every month since, we've done something special on the 18th to celebrate the day we first met.
We had been dating for a few weeks but hadn't officially called each other boyfriend and girlfriend. I slipped up and called Ian my boyfriend, to which he responded, "Oh, I've already been calling you my girlfriend. Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Then we went to Target and bought a space heater. So romantic.
No two people have ever danced around "I love you" as much as we did. We both knew it was very early to say it, so we said everything else - "I love when you do that," "I love that about you," "I love spending time with you," and on and on. Finally, after a late Valentine's day dinner, we first said "I love you," plain and simple.
Ian and I already knew we wanted to get married, and we both wanted to be involved in the process. We chose rings together, and Ian was going to chose how and when. When my ring arrived, I was so worried about it not fitting but I didn't want to see the actual ring before the proposal. Our solution was for him to put the ring on me while I had a blanket over my head. Perfect!
We spent Thanksgiving with Ian's parents and headed to Mt. Nebo the day after. We had visited a few months ago and loved it, so Ian chose it as a proposal spot. We walked one of the trails for a while, just talking about our relationship and how excited we were for this next chapter. When the moment was right, Ian gave the most beautiful speech and proposed. So many happy tears.
Ian and I spent Christmas with our respective families, so we were so happy to be together again for New Year's. A kiss to start the new year has never been sweeter.