For our second date we went mini golfing, it was super hot that day, we were sweating buckets and overall miserable. However, we talked so much the whole time. More than we actually golfed to be honest. He told me all about this game he's obsessed with, and I just listened. I just watched him and knew that he was the one, the way his eyes lit up and he just was so excited to be sharing this knowledge with me. (By the way the space marines are really cool and scary, but not as scary as the void monster thingies.) I lost that game by 20 points, but I knew I was the ultimate winner, I had found someone to lose to for the rest of my life. And I couldn't be more excited about it. Well... I can't say I lose to him all the time, we went back to the mini golf place for a rematch and a mopped the floor with him. WITH RIPPED JEANS ON! (Funny story for another time.) In the grand scheme of things, I am super excited to spend the rest of my life being losers with Nathaniel. I love him more than all the stars<3

Imagine a beautiful day on May 31st, 2023. It was nice outside, not too hot and not too cold (Sara might disagree on the cold), and it was our first date. I made the treacherous drive from Kansas City, Missouri, to Saint Joseph, Missouri. Sara had already given me the address to pick her up, but I accidentally went to the wrong apartment complex and almost hit a small child who darted out in front of my car on a trike. It was definitely the nerves, but I'll blame it on the scary and unfamiliar town of Saint Joseph. After successfully picking up my future wife, we headed to Texas Roadhouse, and the date was extremely awkward. I don't know how many of you know this (and I know it’s a huge surprise), but Sara and I both have wonderful anxiety in public. Add in a sprinkle of anxiety from going on a date with someone so absolutely beautiful and gorgeous, and it increased the jitters to eleven. Our icebreaker over a basket of warm rolls was that we were both part of the "Dead Dad Club." After that, the ice shattered, and I don’t know what it was, but I couldn’t take my eyes or thoughts away from Sara. The date ended in more awkwardness, but it was the kind of awkward that makes your heart jitter instead of wanting to puke on your shoes. Fast forward a few weeks, and we were on our second date. I challenged Sara to mini-golf. It was an extremely hot day and, in hindsight, not the best day for golf, but I will never forget that day. I was winning (no surprise there—I am the mini-golf champion), and I was talking about Warhammer 40k, which is some elite-level nerd stuff that I know she had absolutely no interest in. I was babbling because I had a swarm of butterflies in my stomach, and the best, most amazing part is that she was listening—actually listening—to what I was saying and taking an interest in the topic because I was nerding out about it. It was in that exact moment that I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Sara, as long as she wanted the same thing. Ever since that mini-golf match, I knew that I loved Sara, but it was a love that I had never felt before—a love that initially scared me because I could be myself around Sara, my true self that I rarely let anyone see. I love Sara with every single fiber and atom of my being. From the way she so effortlessly interacts with any child, whether it be from my side or her side of the family, to the way she looks at things in awe when she sees something beautiful, and the way she hugged a gigantic oak tree on a walk because the tree looked lonely. She is the most selfless, loving, passionate, smart, kind, and caring person I know, and I am so honored to spend the rest of my life with her. I cannot wait to take her hand in marriage on 2/5/25.