Our story starts like all epic love stories do—at 5 a.m., in line at the airport, wearing face masks (circa 2021), and running on almost no sleep. We were headed to Las Vegas on a group trip with mutual friends, and Matt had flown in from Colorado 2 days before. When we met eyes, I knew I was in trouble. I had stayed up all night packing and had a solid 45 minutes of sleep under my belt. Matt managed a luxurious three hours. I also forgot to check in until the last minute and ended up with the very last boarding position. The only seat left? Right in front of Matt. But in my sleep-deprived and anxiety-fueled haze, I didn’t even notice him during the flight. He, being the shy and silent type (at least back then), didn’t say anything either. It wasn’t until we landed that I finally noticed he was sitting right behind me the whole time! Over the next few days in Vegas, between group dinners and sightseeing, there was an undeniable spark. Despite some classic “are they into me?” hesitation on both sides, we kept finding reasons to talk, laugh, and linger just a little longer in each other’s company. When the trip ended, Matt flew back to Colorado, and I assumed the spark would fade with the distance. But then came the texts. Then the late-night FaceTime calls. We talked practically nonstop every day. Two months later, I flew to Colorado. Matt officially asked me to be his girlfriend, and I had the honor of meeting his wonderful family. We spent nine months in a long-distance relationship, squeezing in visits and savoring every moment. Eventually, we decided we couldn’t do the distance anymore—so we packed up, braved a December road trip through snow-covered states, and made our move to Washington together. And the rest? Well, you’re here, so you already know—it’s led us straight to “I do.”

What started as a casual suggestion—Matt proposing the idea of planning surprise dates for each other—turned into a day I’ll never forget. I had a few suspicions, of course (call it intuition), but those quickly faded when we pulled up to Bullwinkle’s, a local bowling and arcade spot. I remember thinking, Oh… okay, he’s definitely not proposing today. We spent the afternoon playing mini golf and arcade games, laughing and being our usual, competitive selves. It was the perfect throwback to our very first date, when we did the exact same thing. Our next stop? Applebee’s. Again—exactly what we did on our first date. At this point, I was catching on to the theme, but I still wasn’t entirely sure what was coming. Then came the final surprise. Matt drove us to Battle Ground Lake State Park for a quiet, rainy walk around the lake. The sky was misty, the trail peaceful, and we wandered along the path surrounded by tall trees and soft drizzle. At one point, he asked me to take a photo of the lake with his phone, insisting I was “so much better at capturing the moment.” I took the photo—and when I turned around, there he was: down on one knee, holding out a ring. I wish I could say I was completely surprised, but the nerves were kind of a giveaway. He was definitely sweating bullets. Still, it was one of the most beautiful, thoughtful, and “so us” moments imaginable. A day filled with laughter, nostalgia, and a walk in the rain that changed everything.