James and Melanie met in 2012 working for the same office on CSU’s campus. Through a series of pranks and after several months of working together, James asked Melanie out to a movie. Although James clearly thought it was a date, Melanie did not. Their coworkers quickly got involved and determined it to be a date. They immediately hit it off and extended their date to include bowling and a tour of the lab Melanie was working at. James immediately fell for Melanie and knew he had to fit in as many dates as possible in the 10 days before he left for Morocco. James messaged Melanie every day while he was gone and quickly convinced her to date him upon his return. The Proposal By fall of 2012 James knew Melanie was the one for him. In 2014, James and Melanie moved in together and adopted Anubis. In 2015, they adopted Porter. By 2016, after 4 years of being together, James was ready for more and asked to look at rings. They designed a ring together, commissioned it and held onto it. In 2018, an ideal opportunity presented itself: A trip to Walt Disney World. Melanie’s affinity for all things Disney made this an ideal location. James proposed on Main Street with Cinderella’s Castle in the background at the first photo station in Magic Kingdom. James feigned a loose shoelace, knelt down to tie it, and presented the ring to Melanie with a simple question: “Will you marry me?” Melanie said yes, and now they’re planning a wedding!