We're getting married!!

Have you ever been on LinkedIn prowling for eligible bachelors? Well you should, because it works (sometimes). That’s right- Tony and I met through a quick add on linkedin. At the time I thought I was connecting with a colleague, but little did I know I was connecting with my future husband. Tony and I had our first date at Brick and Barley, one of the classiest dive bars in all of Tempe. Brick and Barley was known prior for its spaghetti wrestling on Wednesdays and subsequently it’s time on Bar Rescue- because, spaghetti wrestling. While I know this doesn’t sound like the most romantic first date, it worked perfectly for us, and became a place we love to hangout with friends and have easy date nights. In my time with Tony we have experienced so many of life’s adventures and challenges, each making us a stronger couple and allowing our love to grow for one another. I am so thankful to LinkedIn and Brick and Barley for being the mediums in cultivating our relationship into what it is today. March 27th cannot come soon enough!!

Planning a fun way to propose to Alexis during this shutdown was not very easy. Even when I went to buy the ring, I had to make up a fake doctor’s appointment so I would have a good excuse to leave the house. For the actual proposal I was at a loss, because we hadn’t been able to do a fancy date night at a restaurant in months, and she would have known something was up if I insisted on going somewhere during the lockdown. I finally came up with the perfect plan; force her to go on a sunset hike. She knows that hiking is a typical activity for me (although not usually in the middle of an Arizona June), so I knew she would not be too suspicious. I ordered us some Oregano’s for delivery, and secretly bought a bottle of champagne for after I ‘popped’ the question. Everything was going perfect until we got there, and Lex refused to go on the trail I had planned to go on, because of the “Private Property” sign. I was then forced to change course, start on a different trailhead, and hope that it merged with the desired trail. Naturally, the two trails did not merge. At this point, I was becoming visibly frustrated, and she finally agreed to trail blaze to the originally planned trail (not without saying she would break up with me if we saw a rattlesnake). We finally make it to the originally planned trail, start to make the climb up the hill, and, of course, it starts to thunderstorm. Not wanting to electrocute my future wife, I decided to not hike to the top, and to propose where we were standing. As she was admiring the views, I took the ring out of my backpack, took a knee, and told her to turn around. Once she turned around, I said the four easiest words I have ever said, “Will you marry me?” Her face quickly turned from shocked to excited, and quickly said “yes.” I got up, and gave my fiancé a kiss just as lighting was striking… you could say my proposal was “electric.”