When we first met, Chris had a red 1997 Jeep Wrangler that he had recently purchased from his buddy-it needed a lot of work to even make it less of a death trap than it currently was. Chris asked if I would go out with him for a night drive after I met him at a bar the day before. We drove the jeep around Charleston, and he even let me drive, as I was eager to show off my ability to drive a manual. I was afraid to tell him his brakes were very "squishy". After spending the evening driving the jeep ALL around Charleston, stopping for drinks and dinner, Chris returned me home asking if I would go out with him again the next night. Chris took the Jeep into the mechanic the next day to find out there was a hole in his brake line and was told he was "lucky and one of the dumbest F#$kers" they had ever met. We survived, and so did the Jeep, but we spent many nights and evenings cruising around listening to our favorite songs and enjoying each others company.

Chris was gifted our Sapphire engagement ring in February by his cousin, Sara, who also inherited the ring. She told him the ring was going to his Sarah or she was coming to Charleston to take it back. He held onto the ring for several months waiting for the perfect moment to propose. I even tried to donate the ski jacket he was hiding the ring at one point, giving Chris a small heart attack. The day he proposed he insisted we went for a walk with Tudor that morning. Apparently, the night before after several cocktails, he decided it was now or never. So we drove to Old Village in Mount Pleasant and we walked to Pitt Street bridge, where we had walked to and spent many dates. It was at least 90 degrees and Chris decided to wear his mermaid button down tiki shirt, which caused some suspicion on my part, but not enough to think he would be proposing. As we sat on a bench with Tudor laying on Chris' feet he asked me 3 questions that I will never forget. "Are you happy?" I said of course I am! "Would you like to be happy with me forever?" "Uh yes?," I responded. "Will you marry me?" He pulled the ring out of his pocket and showed it to me, but because the dog was asleep on top of his feet he couldn't even get up to bend the knee. A few seconds later and what Chris describes as a "A full system reset," I told him "Yes, Of Course!" And so our adventure together began as newly engaged, with Chris only gaining a few more stress related grey hairs.