We met online and went to dinner at Bahama Breeze on a Monday night. It was President's Day. He had the jerk chicken pasta and I had jackfruit tacos. They were not great, actually. Too sweet. I'd just driven four hours from visiting family in Miami, and went to the wrong Bahama Breeze cause we never confirmed the address. I did my makeup while driving and changed my dress in the car at the restaurant parking lot. I walked to the door and he shook my hand, said it was nice to meet me. I texted my friend from the bathroom, after announcing how badly I had to pee, "Well, he just shook my hand so its safe to say this isn't going anywhere." He was so nervous it was kind of cute, but I was pretty sure he wasn't into me. He told me gross medical stories from his time as a paramedic and I said "Yay" each time the waitress came by our table. When the check came, he went to pay and I stopped him. "I'm a 50/50 kinda gal," I said, but he insisted. I told him I owed him the next one, and he confirmed we'd split the check by saying, "You don't owe me anything, except maybe a kiss." "Okay, now you're definitely not gonna pay, especially if you want me to kiss you. A kiss is never owed." With the prospect of a kiss lingering in the air, he was certainly much more willing to split the check. Before he left for his car, we kissed again and he said, "You know you're gonna have to see me again, right?" And I did. Again, and again, and for the rest of my life." - Rachel "All day I was ready for the date, I was SO ready... until my drive to Bahama Breeze... then I FREAKED OUT. In reality, I wasn't ready, and I felt all crazy inside... that is, until she came and I saw her for the first time. I just thought "Wow! She looks so beautiful!" I was so nervous and I couldn't think of what to do, so I shook her hand. The date when on and we talked about millennial things, and it was the best date I ever went on. I had no idea that that day would change my life forever." -Jonathan

"We made plans to be with our families for Christmas, but I had something else in mind. She already somewhat suspected what I was up to. When the day finally arrived, I rounded up my troops and we drove down to surprise her at the gazebo in Miami Springs. There we got ready with a stack full of pictures, a projector and a 20 minute slideshow music video that was honestly awkwardly too long. I was lucky enough that she decided to go to sleep my whole drive down, however, she was catching on. I apparently use too many of the same emoji in my texts when I get nervous, so she felt something was odd. Her mother, my accomplice, was able to convince her to go to a restaurant nearby and make her get dressed. When she arrived, her first words were "What are you doing here!?" followed by "I knew it!". We danced under the stars and lights and it was amazing. At the end of the slideshow, a video of me with big notecards like in 'Love Actually' finishes it off by telling her to turn around. At the moment where she turned, where I was supposed to present the ring and pop the question, I accidentally dropped the ring into the cracks of gazebo and was left staring at the floor. She saw me and smiled out of excitement, not knowing what had happened. Then I looked back at her and asked (without the ring in hand) "Will you marry me?" where she knelt down in front of me and said "Yes!" The next hour was spent trying to find the ring under the gazebo and retrieve it. Only accomplished by her cousin and a wire hanger. But honestly, I wouldn't change anything about that day whatsoever. That day is one of the best days of my life!" -Jonathan

After Jona's amazing proposal, we had an ongoing joke that I would propose to him. By joke, I mean that he fully expected and was excited for it. So I enlisted the local school's improv team (bribed them with pizza and ice cream) and tricked (shamelessly lied to) Jona in order to get him to Cranes Roost Park and launch him into a video game. For those unfamiliar with the Pokemon games, you can walk around and talk to NPC's--nonplayer characters--that will often reward you with TM's--discs you can give to your Pokemon to teach it a new move-- or will be completely pointless and waste your time. That day, I met with Forest Lake Academy's awesome Minus One Improv Team and we rehearsed the walk through around the park and their parts as hilarious NPCs. Having told Jona that I'd "had a really bad day" and "wanted to have a picnic in the park," he arrived at Cranes on a Thursday evening and we set the plan in motion. With the premise of a "school project," he was lured into walking around the park completing tasks, with only one improv rule: always say yes. As he completed tasks given by the "robot children," who did an AMAZING job, he received three TM's. For petting a dog he received TM Cuddles, eating an ice cream bar in under a minute got him TM Cold Teeth, and telling a joke got him TM Live, Love, Laugh. And, to throw him off and waste his time of course, we also encountered a student who lamented that he "came here to shred some concrete waves," but left his board at home. (Pretty sure Jona would have stolen some poor kid's longboard had he seen one). Back by the entrance of the park, we returned to the first student who sent us on the quest, and she asked if either of us had a box. Of course I did, but gave it, and the ring inside, to Jona instead, promising him cuddles, ice cream, and laughter for a lifetime.