We met last October online while Levi was working overseas in Afghanistan. We formed a strong connection right away and before long we were spending hours and hours on the phone every single night for months. We became best friends and his phone call was my favorite part of everyday. In January, Levi finally made it home and it all became so surreal. Seeing each other face to face for the first time felt like a fairytale. He smiled. I cried. Then we started our lives together.

It didn't take long for me to know that I wanted to marry Lex. Once I knew that, I began making arrangements to build a life in the KCMO area. That involved quitting my job that took me overseas too often, getting a new job with Amazon in Kansas City, and buying a beautiful house in Blue Springs for the two of us. I decided I wanted to propose to her in that home, but we wouldn't be able to move in for a few more weeks. So I called the company that had built the home and asked for access, and when I told them my plan they were more than happy to play along. I told Lex we were going out for dinner, but the location would be a surprise. I'll never forget how she looked that night... She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I had the realtor call me right before we left for "dinner" and tell me that we needed to meet at the new house ASAP because there were some urgent forms that needed to be signed. When we arrived at the house, Lex didn't suspect anything, until she saw the bouquets of roses and champagne on the island. Standing behind her, I got down on my knee and when she turned around her face lit up as she saw me holding the ring. She said yes, and the rest is history.