We Do.

We first met in November of 2018 when we were 15, at our Wednesday night youth group at Rockpoint Church. Our mutual friend Molli introduced us, and Maria stood there quiet as a mouse, almost hidden behind her. I didn't know it then, but that would be the last time I would ever see Maria shy or quiet. I thought she was just the cutest thing I’d ever seen. We instantly hit it off as friends. Wednesday night quickly became our weekly chance to hangout and favorite part of the week. However, I was currently in somewhat of an interesting “High School relationship”, but that didn’t stop our bond from growing. Getting to know her without any pressure or expectations felt so natural and fun. We’d play basketball and football together before the church service, and unlike the other girls she wasn’t shying away from getting into it. We kept meeting up every Wednesday at church and without fail would catch one another sneaking a look in each other's direction, slowly creating a tension to what we both had thought was just a friendship. We continued to hang out a lot mostly in group settings, but we would often find ourselves talking about very interesting hypotheticals such as what qualities do you like in a guy/girl, ideal date ideas, etc. There was always this sort of playful friction between us like we both wanted to admit something to the other but neither of us had the courage. Our bond kept growing as we hung out a good handful of times outside of Wednesday night youth group, and then one day Maria invited me to her birthday party and we had the greatest time. This was a big turn in our relationship, and her parents noticed that this may not just be a friendship for much longer. I then quickly ended my relationship with my current girlfriend to pursue Maria. Whether or not that all occurred on the same day shall forever be a mystery ;). I asked Maria out on June 9th 2019, and we were attached all summer finally experiencing everything we had hoped it would be. It was truly the best summer. From highschool, covid, Maria's moms cancer diagnosis, to fun college experiences together, we have always had each others backs throughout the ups and downs of life. So much so that when the time came to go to college I left my previous commitment to St. Johns to go join Maria at St. Thomas (although I’ll never admit that's why). Throughout college, we embarked on Semester at Sea together traveling the world at each other's sides, doing what we had always dreamt about. Really, it was Maria's dream that I had adopted as well, but that's besides the point. Together, we went to over 12 countries, and experienced some of the most amazing places and experiences together. Our love for travel, and our relationship as a whole blossomed as we experienced the greatest sights of the world side by side. All of these chapters brought us to last September, when I got down on one knee and asked Maria to continue making a lifetime of memories with me. And, well, you’ll never believe it, she said yes! September 21st, 2024 I proposed on our favorite beach on Sanibel island, on the most perfect day. Following our engagement we started working towards our goal of leaving Minnesota and moving to Florida. After lots of hard work, we were able to make our dream come true. On June 25th we began our 24 hour drive from Minnesota to our new home in Tampa. We had finally made our 15 year old dream of moving to the beach come true. Well, that's about it. It's been a crazy ride filled with love, laughter, trust, happiness, and patience. But here we are engaged and so excited to be married. I could not have prayed for a more perfect woman to be at my side for the rest of my life. So cheers to the memories we’ve made and the memories to come.

Now anybody who knows Maria knows she hates surprises and always likes to know what's going on so tricking her into getting ready for the proposal was a little tough. I, along with the help of her family had Maria believing they were all going to Florida to see Jacklyn's orchestra concert which was taking place on the “beach”. We went as far as faking an email from Jacklyn's conductor detailing the program's agenda. I also made it known that I would be out of town that weekend to hang with some of my friends at Octoberfest in Lacrosse, Wisconsin. I went as far as showing up to her house and bringing her and her Dad to the airport with a case of beers and an overnight bag as I was immediately “leaving to go to Wisconsin”. The look on her face when she saw my overnight bag and beverages was priceless. Little did she know it was all a setup and I would be on a flight the following morning with our photographer to meet her in Florida at the beach. We got up at 3am to get to our flight and had enough time to set everything up. Once we got to Florida, we picked up Jacklyn with all of the supplies I had ordered to her dorm and raced to get champagne and roses. We finally made it to the beach and we only had a few hours to get it all ready! Jacklyn, our photographer and I immediately began raking the sand with the cardboard from the tiki torches I had ordered to make a clean path, setting up the tiki torches, and then eventually sticking the roses into the ground. It was truly a painful set up, but we all kept reminding ourselves it was out of love for Maria. It could not have been a more perfect weather day, and the time finally came for you to show up! The only problem is I'm currently drenched in sweat and still in my street clothes. So, the girls finish up the final touches on the setup and I run to the car to collect myself and get dressed. But I only have 5 minutes so I run back and assume my position. I'm standing here for probably 2-3 minutes as Maria and her parents start walking closer and closer. I see Andrea about to lose it while Maria still has no clue. Maria finally locks eyes with Jacklyn and recognizes all of us and starts to run to me. I then ask for her hand in marriage and we celebrate. But, I had a little surprise which is an ongoing inside joke with our family. When we first started dating, her family had wanted me to come on a trip to the Dominican Republic with them. However, in order to do so we would have to plan it out in advance, so I made a “verbal contract” that I would not break up with Maria in the next 6 months. And then started the joke, every year Chris would say “Adams renewing the contract I see”, or Chris telling Maria, “I don’t know if you should do that Maria, Adam hasn't signed you for another year yet”. It was constantly being thrown around as a small inside joke only funny to us. So I thought there was no better way than to ask Maria's Dad and family then by providing them a lengthy contract detailing what their daughter and family means to me. Chris was the first to see when I went to ask him his blessing. He loved it and warned me that I still have an out before he signs. Looking back I realized he was looking out for me but I said nope, here's the pen. He signed it and then all that was left was Jacklyn Andrea and Rosie. I snuck over to their house one night to secure their blessing before Maria got home and they signed the contract as well. I even got Rosie's Paw Print. I had the contract at the engagement and read through it all with Maria. It was so fun seeing her reaction. September 21st, 2024 was a perfect day, a perfect setup all for a perfect girl. I wouldn’t change a thing about it, as it embodies every aspect of our love for each other. Right after Maria said “yes” and we were walking the beach to the sun setting, a rainbow appeared over our heads, as what I can only describe as God's stamp of approval, and truly the perfect way to end the perfect day.