We're getting married!!!

We met on Bumble - an online dating app. Before you ask, yes we were both raised knowing that not everyone you see online is really who they say they are. BUT, we spent a quality time getting to know each other and asking the questions that were important to us before we even agreed to meet in person. Once we met, it was perfection. He was the missing piece that I never knew I needed, and I am so glad that we found each other.

We officially began dating when we were hanging out with some of my friends at a karaoke bar. I, as always, was giving him a hard time and teasing him about how we "weren't technically a couple" because he had never asked me to be his girlfriend. Well, Joseph immediately corrected that and asked the question.

We decided to take a trip for New Years together! We road tripped to Las Vegas, NV and spent time exploring the city together. We stayed off the strip in a smaller hotel but had just as amazing of a time. We got to walk by the Sphere and see it up close! From going to the Taco Bell Cantina to watching the Bellagio Fountain show and finally, the fireworks show at the Caesar Palace Hotel. We had an amazing trip and it is one we will never forget!

Well, as you can tell from the title, we moved in together. It was something we thought long and hard about and something that we discussed with Lily as well. We were already spending time together after work every day and having dinner with each other. The commute between our apartments was something we did not want to do anymore. We found the perfect apartment - two bedrooms, two bathrooms, first floor, air conditioning - and decided to take the leap.

If you don't already know, Joe is serving on active duty in the US Navy. He is a culinary specialist (CS) and during his deployment, he was promoted to the rank of E6 which is a Petty Officer First Class (PO1). Like most military personnel, he was deployed. I dropped him off to his command and gave him a huge hug and kiss and told him see you later. This was by no means an easy time for both he and I but, we kept each other strong and kicked that deployments butt! On the day of his return, I picked Lily up from school and we both waited for Joe to step off the bus. As to be expected, I had to wait for my hug because Lily ran to him and jumped into his arms as soon as she saw him and began crying her eyes out with happy tears. We were all three happy that he had returned home safe and sound.

While we loved our apartment together, we thought we could use more space. So we decided to move to a townhome. We again found a place that we loved - attached garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a patio, and air conditioning - and we moved in. The kitties, Ash and Tater Tot, love the new place! They have stairs to run up and down to get all their crazy zoomies out on! Joe has a wonderful kitchen now with plenty of space for cooking and room for Lily and I to bake together as well! Our living room is spacious and perfect for having friends over for game nights! We honestly couldn't ask for a better place.

Joe and I found that we both have a favorite giraffe: Lily. She participated in the school play, The Lion King Kids, and was cast as a giraffe! We both took the day off of work so that we could see her performance and boy, was it worth it! She was wonderful! Lily had put in so much time learning the words to the songs and the choreography for the dances. That little lady was a star up on that stage!

We spent MONTHS planning a trip to Las Vegas for my 30th birthday celebration. I spent time making reservations at restaruants that we both wanted to eat at for dinner and brunch. We even made reservations for mini golf that also had a bar and it was so much fun! The morning of, we went to brunch with our friends (had an amazing time) and then Joe and I made a custom Coca-Cola can that has our names on it. We all went back to our Airbnb and swam in the pool because even in May, Vegas is HOT! All of us got ready for our dinner reservations at Hell's Kitchen. The boys were in nice pants and collared shirts. The girls put on dresses and donner makeup. We had a wonderful meal from the beef wellington and the lamb rack to the chicken and salmon. We had red and white wine and spent the evening chatting and enjoying the moment.

After our amazing dinner we went to the Bellagio hotel to watch the fountain show. When we got there the water show had started about 2 minutes prior however, the boys were adamant that they wanted to see a full show. So we waited. Laughing and taking pictures together. The 8:45 pm show started, and Joe and I were watching the show and listening to the music. Two minutes in I notice that he is no longer next to me. As I begin to turn around, he reaches up and places his hand on my arm while getting down on one knee. He has a beautiful green box and inside I see an absolutely gorgeous ring! He looked right into my eyes and asked me to marry him and I - of course - said yes!