We actually met in 2018 at a volleyball open gym. The first and only thing Abel said to Madeline was, "You could hit the ball harder if you change your arm placement." After that day, they'd see each other (rarely) at open gyms, but still never really spoke to one another. It wasn't until the summer of 2021, when the world was weaning off of face masks and COVID rapid tests, that Madeline reached out to Abel to play at a game nearby. After that day, they started spending more time together and c'est la vie—the rest is history. ♥

Abel had actually purchased the ring months in advance and had been planning on proposing for quite some time, but he was just never able to find the right moment. He even went as far as bringing the ring to certain occasions, but never ended up proposing because it "didn't feel right." Finally, Abel had thought about a few things that Madeline loves most (spending time outdoors and being with family/friends), and it was then that he had his "Aha" moment. What better way to propose, he figured, than to scale a mountain with close friends at the very place they began dating 3 years earlier. Their first date was at the Stairway to Heaven hiking trail—a 3-mile trek of dirt, steep rock slabs, and striking panoramic views. So he set up a day to head out there, and after an hour or so of huffing and puffing uphill, Abel got on one wobbly knee and asked for her hand in marriage. And at the very peak of that mountain, Madeline said yes...soon to be "I do." ♥