Online dating is a mess. Trust me, I’ve been doing it for a decade. Sure you meet some interesting people, send some messages, weed out the creeps. Sometimes you give out your number, send a couple of texts, then rename that contact to “weird Rialto dude”. It happens. Then you start talking to a OTR Trucker. This is perfect because he’s only in town every few weeks. That can’t last, right? But your phone conversations are amazing (and long!) and you get excited for Memorial Day Weekend, when y’all can finally meet. But this isn’t your first rodeo. This is just going to be one more story of failed dating, right? Until he gets out of his car and you realize, this is going to be harder to say goodbye to than you thought. And by the time you’re eating dinner, you’re convinced you’ve never been in love until this moment. That’s my side of things, at least. Dan knew I was the one long before we met. Just a few months later, I was doing his laundry. Side note: our second date was sidelined by having to take apart my washer and extract a Bobby pin from the motor, so I now rigorously check pockets. Hollywood and romance novels did not prepare me for finding a ring in his pocket. I dropped the ring, and walked away. I didn’t want to think about the shiny beauty sitting on the ground. Well, until Dan needed to run to the store, and was checking his pockets. The look of panic must have mirrored Gollum’s. “Look on the floor by the refrigerator.” Was all I could say. I couldn’t say the word, and I can’t repeat here what he said. Honestly, I didn’t hear it all, as I was now laughing too hard. “I guess I should ask you to marry me?” So, no champagne, no elaborate plan, no picturesque setting. But our engagement story is ours, perfect in every way because of how imperfect it was. And I wouldn’t change a thing! Of course I said yes, and we’re hoping you’ll join us on June 25th in Augusta to celebrate our love.