Nathan and I grew up down the street from each other in Andover, Kansas. He was friends with my brother and I danced with his sister, and our parents were good friends. Since Nathan and I went to different high schools and he's (a few 😉) years younger than me, Nathan and I didn't know each other. When I was home for Christmas break, I was swiping on Bumble with a friend to show her how it worked, and Nathan popped up. Of course, I thought he was handsome, and we struck up a conversation. It was my last night in town before heading back to Dallas the next day, so I invited him to meet me for a beer or burger at Dempsey's after I played pickleball with my family. Fast forward to us having great conversation and hitting it off while sitting at the bar. The funniest part of that night was that my entire family was sitting a couple tables away, watching the whole thing. I invited him to sit down with them and he said "Sure!" I knew there was something special about him, and the fact that he didn't mind chatting with my entire family on our first date showed a glimpse of his amazing character. Nathan was applying for fire jobs in different parts of the country at that time. A few days after our first date, he checked to see if Dallas was hiring out of curiosity. They were, and he applied! We began talking frequently and since he didn't know when I was coming back to Kansas, he asked if he could visit me in Dallas. After an incredible weekend of brunch, sporting events, and church, he made it official. The rest is history! Nathan and I were long distance for 11 months while he applied for jobs here. After many road trips and too many late night Facetime's to count, Nathan was hired by the City of Dallas Fire Department and made his move to the Big D!

This past Memorial Day weekend, Nathan had the sweetest surprise in store for me! He knows how special Grand Lake is to me, so he was confident that was the perfect place to propose. Behind the scenes he had been planning details with my parents, even drawing a diagram of the exact bridge where he wanted to pop the question. Friday, May 22, Nathan and I headed to Grand Lake with two of my best friends in tow, who were also in on the surprise. That night, we were going to a nice dinner at Shangri-la (the wedding venue!) and my friend Regan let me borrow a cute dress of hers. While we were getting ready, my other friend Cat was upstairs showing Nathan the ring because she had picked it up for him that morning. Nathan had been working on the design for months, and the store was able to get it ready right on time. 💍 When Nathan and I were headed to the boat to go to dinner, as we approached the last bridge, he stopped the golf cart. He knew if he asked me to take a selfie with him, I'd jump right out of the golf cart, so I did! After snapping a few pics, right as I turned around to get back in the golf cart, he got down on one knee. After I said "Yes!", my family and friends ran out from hiding behind the bushes. We went down to the dock for a photo op and it was all decorated. After popping some bubbly, we all got on the boat to head to a delicious dinner to celebrate! 🍾 We can't wait to continue the celebration at Grand Lake on March 6 with our favorite people! Cheers! 🥂