Meet us at the Falls

Mark and I met on the Hinge dating app in August 2020 during Covid. My life was a little crazy with my dad's health and I had to cancel our first date, I told myself if Mark could handle the crazy then he would stick around. Our first date was, September 12, 2020, at Amalfi in Roswell, followed up by ice cream! To be honest, I wasn't sure what to think about Mark after our first date, he seemed very nervous. I had some outstanding questions and it sounds silly now, but he wore a BRIGHT orange shirt, I mean neon orange. I remember telling my roommate, Meredith, I just don't know but was open to a second date. Our second date, we met in Atlanta at Krog Street Market and had planned to eat at Superica, they were on a long wait so we got into one car and drove over to Bone Garden. We had a great dinner and the recruiter in me started to dig into what I was questioning. We returned to Krog and sat in the car, talking for hours. Going home that night, I knew at that point I liked Mark and thought I would give it a shot. Mark leaned into the crazy that my world was and as we learned more about each other things felt easy and conversations flowed naturally. I think it was our 3rd or 4th date, I called my cousin, Meriah, and told her I thought I could marry him one day. We quickly met each other's families, knowing they are huge parts of our lives. Mark naturally fit in with the Clark's and my family loves him. We also started to travel, taking our first trip in November 2020 to Savannah, exploring new places and trying new things has kept things fun!

We first met in September of 2020, after talking for a few weeks and rescheduling we finally had a dinner date made. We both were fresh off long term relationships, mine a little fresher than Rachels but our chemistry flowed smooth and our conversations were great. It was a breath of fresh air meeting someone who I could connect with on so many levels and who was smoking hot! The more I got to know Rachel the more I wanted to be with her. Our talks of adventures and travel turned into soo MANY adventures of our own. I'm so happy that we decided to give 2020 dating apps a shot and meetup. Even if the guy wears a bright Orange shirt!

Mark and I celebrated his 33rd birthday and New Year's Eve in Washington, DC, in December of 2022, during the trip we talked about getting engaged in 2023. Fast forward to the middle of 2023, things had been a little crazy, Mark started a new career and we found out we were pregnant with Josie. We tried on rings in September and I may have put a little bit of pressure on him to propose by the end of the year but knew that it would happen when he was ready. Whenever I would bring up the proposal he would blow off the topic or say he would do it when he was ready, which was the last thing I wanted to hear. Nearing the end of the year, Mark started to act a little weird. He took a trip to Home Depot, which is a mile from our house, and was gone for an hour plus but came home with nothing. Then he did the same thing a second time a few weeks later. My spidey senses were going off. Next, we were getting ready for our trip to Asheville and he suggested I buy a new dress. Mark has never cared what I've worn or packed for a trip. We went shopping, he picked out a few dresses and then sat outside the dressing room while I tried everything on. Mark has never been one for shopping so I knew something was up! I texted Amanda that we needed to get our nails done before the trip because I felt like it was going to happen. I didn't want to alert Mark that I had any clue so I told him it was her idea. On the day of the proposal, Mark suggested I wear the new dress. We started the day with brunch at Tupelo Honey, which was delicious but it was more like eating solo. Mark was writing novels on his phone but I was still clueless just confused as to who he was talking to. After brunch, we went to the Botanical Gardens and Mark raced over a few bridges and up a hill. Mind you I was 7.5 months pregnant, wondering why we were walking outside in the freezing cold and not stopping to look at anything. We got to the top of the hill and Mark got down on one knee and popped the question, I said yes multiple times! He had a photographer taking pictures, and then we had a two-hour photo shoot! We FaceTimed our families to share the exciting news and enjoyed a delicious dinner! It had FINALLY happened haha!

Months in the planning and our new years/ baby moon trip was booked for Asheville. I purchased a ring in September and then I worked hard to find a local photographer in the area to meet us for our surprise engagement shoot to capture the whole moment. Fast forward to the morning of, and I am stressing hard. Rachel is totally on to me, and I’m doing my best to not get her to on to my plan. All in all, it all came together perfectly, and she said YES!!!