We are getting married!

How we met is something more out of a National Lampoons movie than the standard fairytale novel. For those who have known Cody the past decade also know he was good at having some of the more exciting annual parties also known as "Phippsapalooza". This yearly tradition usually consisted of copious amount of beer, great food, and a few late nights. What he didn't know and I wasn't expecting is on that night we would talk for the first time that would lead up to what we are today. Cody being the talkative host that he was, came up to me with a backpack full of beer asking if I needed anything. This is where it all started. What started with some simple introductions turned into a late night (and morning) of getting to know each other and talking about our interests and hobbies. As that summer progressed so did our companionship. We both knew that we had something special. Conversations never were boring, we loved spending time together, and our love for old dogs (especially Golden Retrievers at the time) was something our relationship was really built on. Jump ahead to now (almost 9 years later) some would say after that night "the rest is history". In our case it was just the beginning. The foundation of our relationship was (and always will be) forming and the rest will continue until death do us part. Some days can be labeled as adventures, some can be labeled as a test of patience, while others can only be described as perfect. Until that time when death does do us part we will continue to love, care, and cherish each other and the limited time we have on this giant rock.

After 7 years of dating the pressure was on. Not only from Delaney but from from close friends and family members. I knew I wanted to but needed to come up with something special and not something cookie cutter like a majority of the proposals we've seen. The weekend after the 4th of July we were planning on having some of our closest friends up to her family cabin a little ways north of where we live. The average person would want to propose in front of friends and share the memory.... not this guy. I had Delaney in the area I wanted and had a plan once our friends left to propose in the perfect spot we both enjoyed. There is a pond on the property where many of the turtles inhabit and have become fairly tame due to Delaney's family feeding them much like they do with the birds. Once the friends had left I knew I needed to coax her to come down to the dock and feed the turtles one more time before we left for home. When we got down to the dock I waited for her to face the end of the dock to feed the turtles, once turned around I was on one knee asking the love of my life to be with me forever. No tears in her eyes she said "Yes!" along with a follow up sentence with "It's about time." With a hug and a kiss shared on the dock we then walked back to the cabin where we took our first motorcycle ride as fiancé's. Now we are planning, building excitement, and creating what will be one of our most memorable days of our lives.