Cheers! We’re getting married!

Setting the scene: Onna is working her second job on a Friday night slinging wings and beer at the local Buffalo Wild Wings. The bar section is full, her regular tables are busy, she's sweating a bit, and making money. Meanwhile, Jared has been at the bar rail with a buddy for a few hours. They've taken notice of one another, exchange a few flirty quips, but gone about their evenings regularly. All of a sudden, Jared makes a move. Jared sticks his arm out in front of Onna to stop her pathway to the kitchen... J: "I know you're really busy, but I think you're really pretty and I'd like to take you on a date." O: "Are you drunk?" J: "NO! Why would you say that?" O: "Cause you've been sitting here drinkin' beer all night with your friend, and now you're asking me out. You always hit on waitresses?" J: "No I really don't. I don't like bothering people when they're working but I really do think you're pretty. Can I have your number?" O: "Are you serious?...Okay...I guess you're cute. Sure." Two months later we had our first date, and have been inseparable since!

As many of you know, Jared has a beautiful daughter named Jersey Nicole. She is two years old and the light of our lives. When I first met Jersey, I was very nervous! She'd just turned a year old. Her cheeks were so chubby and she barely had any hair. I'll never forget the look she gave me when I first saw her... She was terrified and confused. Nevertheless, Jared encouraged me to pick her and bring her to him. Both of our eyes wide, she didn't cry until she made eye contact with Jared. It took a few months, but after a while, she warmed up to me just fine. I am now her "Onnie Onna" and she is my "Jersey Girl"! I am forever thankful to Jared and Megan, Jersey's mom, for giving us the opportunity to become a family with our baby.

Things didn't go according to plan, but he still made it happen! Jared made a huge deal for my birthday and wanted to take me out for a fancy dinner on the Plaza in Kansas City. He even picked out the most beautiful dress for me to wear. I remember I was supposed to leave work early, then had a nail appointment where I waited 45 extra minutes! It was very nerve-wracking! We were getting close to crunch time (Jared absolutely HATES being late and always wants to be somewhere 10-15 minutes early) but we made it to the Plaza just in time to get to our originally planned restaurant for our reservation. The weather was FREEZING and windy, but we pushed on. We went into our reservation, and they told us we only had a wine tasting reservation and NOT a dinner reservation! (He'd even planned for roses to be on the table when we got there) We had to walk to several restaurants to try and find an open table. It was a nightmare. We finally found a couple seats at the bar at PF Changs. Jared had to use the restroom so often I was getting suspicious. I thought he was checking on a fantasy draft he was in and I was starting to get irritated. He finally rushed us to get the check and wanted to go take pictures by the fountain to commemorate our fancy date. As we approached the fountain, a group of people scurried over to the opposite side away from us... "Weird" I thought... But didn't even have the chance to question it before two other people turned around and started playing us our song "I'll Try" by Alan Jackson. I immediately was emotional and asked "What did you do?". He just laughed and held me close as we were serenaded. I was in tears at this point, and he turned to me and started reading me a speech he'd prepared. "Onna, I have one more question for you..." We turned around and our family was standing 30 feet away with a banner that read "Will You Marry Me?" I don't even remember saying "Yes" but it was perfect! He did so good and I will never forget that night!