We met in Charlotte in 2022, after one of our mutual friends Shannon Pakusch thought we would hit it off and introduced us. We remained just friends for a while, always running in similar circles since two of our best friends (Shan & Pat) had just started dating. We were on the same kickball team - one of us was much more serious about it than the other. After a while, we began spending more and more time together and soon realized there could be something much more between us. Rhino Market bagel sandwiches, long walks with Megan's dog Willow, and cooking dinners together became a regular habit. Soon enough, we were inseparable.

While it wasn't exactly a complete secret that Dalton was going to propose, I didn't know the specifics. We had a trip planned to go explore San Fransisco for a few days, and I was hopeful he would propose then. On our first full day, the weather was unseasonably beautiful for San Fransisco - clear skies, sunny and 75. We started the day with a 9 mile bike ride across the golden gate bridge. Then we grabbed some tacos for lunch and headed back to our hotel to regroup for a bit. Dalton was much more laid back than I had thought he'd be when he was about to propose, so my hopes of a proposal dwindled. We had planned to explore the botanical gardens that afternoon and, of course, I was taking my time getting ready. My suspicion grew when Dalton shot down my suggestion at grabbing ice cream on our walk over (little did I know we were already 30 minutes late). He also suddenly had strong opinions on which parts of the gardens we should explore first. After a short walk meandering among the flowers, we stopped under a trellis, surrounded by beautiful greenery and flowers. Dalton got down on one knee, gave his incredibly thoughtful speech, and asked me to marry him. We both had tears in our eyes as I said "Yes, of course". We went to go grab that ice cream now that Daltons mysterious “stomach ache” had passed. When we got back to our hotel, there was champagne and chocolate waiting. We spent the evening celebrating, dancing, and going out to a fabulous meal.