Steve's love for food brought him down the hill from his apartment at the time to ole Lake Zoar Drive In where Olivia ran the counter. He was a regular for quite some time, but for some reason the Summer of 2010 they both went, "whoa" and a little spark was lit. Steve began to come in more frequently, always when he knew Olivia would be working. I mean c'mon when this cute girl behind the counter in short shorts is making the best milkshakes in the world, who wouldn't become a regular. They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach, well yes, indeed. Olivia began changing up his order because he boringly would order the the same bacon cheeseburger with pickles and mayo. Boy was he spoiled. The flirting became more constant and Steve worked up the courage to ask her on a first date- to a truck wash. Yes, you heard, a truck wash. Romantic right? Believe it or not it was the most romantic thing in the world to Olivia. She knew he was being himself and had the best time. The perfect kiss ended the night and, well, you know the rest- Gettin Hitched!

The Rose of Jericho, also known as the “Resurrection Plant”, is a tumbleweed-like plant that curls its branches inward when its roots dry out, forming a ball that opens only when moistened again. They can survive for years in their dried state and magically come back to life with just a little water. In spiritual practices, it is believed to bring Peace, Prosperity and Abundance to a home & protect against illness and negative energies. I decided that I was going to secretly open it up with water, put the ring in it and dry it out again. After that I was going to give it to her as a housewarming gift. When I gave it to Olivia I said, “This is nothing special but I got you a gift that’s supposed to bring good luck”, as we just bought a house together. Great idea, right? Well it was until when I gave the plant to her she said, “Aw how sweet babe thanks! Since it takes a bit to open, let’s pick a night soon.” and it was tossed up on the fridge. Technically Olivia had her engagement ring and didn’t even know it for 3 weeks! Then on December 31st, 2018 New Year’s Eve, Olivia thought it would be a good idea to open the plant for the upcoming year. After I had closed the plant again with the ring inside you could still see a tiny bit of saran wrap I had put around the ring to protect it. I told her it was a fertilizer packet. She believed it and didn’t suspect a thing! After the plant opened I took the saran-wrapped ring and gave it to her to open. She wouldn’t open it because it looked “slimy”. As I started to unwrap the ring I said, “I’m not sure what this is babe, it looks like some chunk of metal or something, I think they burned us on the plant food”. At this point Olivia had no idea what was going on with the fertilizer packet and was more intrigued with the plant opening. Then I fully unwrapped the ring, dropped to one knee and said, “Olivia Katherine Czaplinski, will you marry me?” Took her totally by surprise and left her speechless, other than saying yes!