After meeting on St. Patrick's Day four years ago, we both have come to believe in the luck of the Irish. We were inseparable that memorable weekend and a friendship quickly ensued. We spent the following months traveling back and forth between Athens and Savannah and by the end of summer we knew we had found our person. How sweet it is when someone comes into your life and you expect nothing out of it, but suddenly right there in front of you is everything you ever needed.

One thing that rings true (no pun intended) throughout our entire relationship is our love of the outdoors. Over the years, we have hiked a majority of the trails in the North Georgia mountains and on a beautiful fall day in late November we decided to do just that. However, on this particular day Michael seemed to have adopted an odd fascination with his boots as he needed to tie his boot laces every few miles. Although I was suspicious, the breathtaking autumn leaves and the 10+ mile 2,000+ feet ascent kept me distracted. Beneath the double-tiered cascades of Martin Creek Falls, we posed for a picture and Michael knelt down to tie his shoe yet again ... or so I thought. I began to walk away laughing and teasing him as I left, then I noticed he wasn't kneeling to tie his shoe, he was proposing! He smiled and I cried and it couldn't have been more perfect.