After four years of dating, it had become quite obvious that I had found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She had always been so patient with my work endeavors and was always there to support me when life got stressful. Nothing gives me more peace then knowing I have Marina by my side through all of life’s challenges. The time came where I knew I needed to take the next step and officially ask Marina to marry me. I have always appreciated the now somewhat seemingly old-fashioned approach of asking the bride’s father for her hand in marriage, so I knew that was step one. I made up an excuse to go over to her parent’s house while she was at work so that I’d be able to let them know my plans and make sure they knew where my heart was. With them graciously onboard, we spent the next few weeks secretly texting each other, without Marina seeing, to brainstorm potential engagement ideas. One of my favorite traits about Marina and her family is how family centric they are. Because of this, I knew my plan had to involve her family so that they’d be able to share in the moment and celebrate with her afterwards. I have had people ask me if I was ever concerned about her saying no, and I can unequivocally say that I was not. Even up until moments before the proposal my only concern was that I’d be able to speak clearly and mutter out the words ‘will you marry me”. After weeks of planning, I came up with the idea to have Marina’s mom organize a family picture. With my mom being in town for work at the same time, I had the perfect excuse to not be able to make it to the photo. I told Marina I would regretfully miss the photo as I had to pick up my mom from the airport at the same time. I expected Marina to be upset, but as she always somehow is, she took the news with complete understanding and simply asked if my mom would have time to get dinner afterwards so she could see her. With the plan in place, it was now time to finalize the location. I took a day to drive around Phoenix and Scottsdale until I found a place that met a few requirements: It would need to be laid out where there was an area for me to sneak into the picture in the background without being seen by Marina I wanted it to be somewhat private while also still having a great backdrop for a family photo I settled on the Phoenix Botanical Gardens as the site of the proposal and even had their staff give me some hints on the layout and where might be the best place. I had Marina’s cousin Tucker help as the photographer so that I knew he would be in on it and help keep Marina’s attention focused forward and away from me sneaking in the background. Somehow the entire plan went off without a hiccup and I couldn’t have done it without the help of her family, my mom, and my coworker Ryan who helped video my entrance and proposal from my point of view. As perfect as I feel the proposal went, the most exciting thing was when she said yes. Even though I felt confident she’d say yes, there is nothing to prepare you for the feeling of hearing your soulmate make official what you’ve wanted for years.

For many people, the first question when you initially get engaged is, "Did you expect it?" and then it is proceeded by, "Well, come on now....... HOW DID IT HAPPEN?" On February 20, 2022, when Christian asked me to spend the rest of my life with him, I can tell you with 100% certainty that I did not see it coming. For years my family has always talked about getting family photos done but with coordinating everyones schedules it just hadn't happened. Finally, on my one day off of work from a long stretch of days on and before going back to work the following day, my mom decided that today was that day (or so I thought). For anyone that knows me, I love my days off and sleep. However, since these photos were so long-awaited and she was very excited about them, I shoved my exhaustion aside and was happy to join in on the family fun. When I talked to Christian about participating in on the fun, he mentioned that his mom would be getting in town for work the same day and wanted to spend what little time she had here with her. Knowing how much family means to both of us, it wasn't even a second thought that I wanted him to be with her. The big day arrived and when we got to the Botanical Gardens, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. My parents stopped for gas so they were running behind, my older brother was on his way with the other kids and I arrived first with my brother Dimitre, nephews and Grandpa. We took photos together, made jokes, and watched all the different people entering and exiting the park to pass time. When everyone finally showed up we made our way to the entrance, but not before I was able to make a fool out of myself. Walking in all dressed up and feeling good quickly turned into tripping over myself landing face first on the ground at the feet of a crowd of people. But like in typical Marina- Fashion, I literally brushed it off like nobody just witnessed it, wiped away a few embarrassed tears, and laughed. After about 45 minutes of taking different family photos, my cousin who was our photographer for the day decided to take a few more photos of everyone together while the sunset was at its peak. Once we were finished he called me over to look at the finished product on his camera. Standing to the left side in the photo, I first made sure my eyes were open and that you couldn't see my bleeding knee, then I proceeded to scan the photo from left to right. Being that Christian wasn't able to make family photos, I thought it was a great idea that my cousin photoshopped him into the photo on the far right as if he was there! Again, in typical Marina-Fashion it took me a minute to process that my cousin was not in fact a speedy wizard at photoshop while I stared confused at the photo. I finally looked up from the camera lens and read the words Christian was holding up that said, "Marina, Will you marry me?".