We're getting married!

Sam and I met through mutual friends in high school. We don't remember specifically when and where, so if anyone has these details, let us know! We went to different schools, but would see each other at dances and various parties and sporting events (embarassing photographic evidence exists). I thought Sam was an extremely nice guy with some out of control dance moves. Fast forward to college, when I became friends with a lot of Sam's friends. The JMU half of the group would visit Charlottesville often for the obvious reason that we had more fun. When contemplating potential dates for Chi Omega's spring formal my second year, I was told by one of our groomsmen that I could NOT ask Sam. Luckily, Sam showed up to my apartment's annual Christmas party in Arlington in 2013. The stars were aligned that night thanks to Drybar and Victoria's famous spiked apple cider...and the rest is history!

Anyone that knows Susan well knows she's impossible to surprise. Anyone that knows me well knows I'm too stubborn to not try and surprise her anyway; and that's how I found myself in the planning stages of asking the woman I love for a life-long commitment. My first thought was that I can't take Susan anywhere that might spike suspicion that a proposal was coming. My second (possibly sadder) thought was that there's no way she will be suspicious if we walk to get a drink at Three Monkeys for the 100th time! My third (awesome) thought was that I needed to dress normally, which for me means a collared shirt and New Balances. My last thoughts were to ask some good friends to photograph it (Jada & David) and ask additional good friends and family to wait at Three Monkeys so we could surprise her again. Two Surprises? Two? Bold strategy, let's see how it works out for him. Well, it wouldn't be much of a story if everything went according to plan. Despite the fact that I hit the exact spot Jada and I had picked for me to get down on one knee, I was in no way prepared for Susan to immediately start laughing at me. Panicked, I decided to pull an audible, forgo my little speech, and instead blurt out the words "will you marry me?" Thankfully, she said yes, we got some great pictures and proceeded on to Three Monkey's. Susan asked me if she should call her mom to tell her the good news. I, knowing that her mom was at the very bar we were approaching, suggested that she wait until after we had our first drink with Jada and David. Susan agreed and all signs pointed to the second surprise going off without a hitch. And it would have if it weren't for a certain unmistakable blue Nissan Rogue parked right out front of Three Monkeys belonging to none other than Debbie Lappan. Susan noticed immediately and my enthusiasm dissipated; saved only by the smiling faces that greeted us when entered the bar. All in all a crazy, nerve-racking, but extremely worth it 20 minutes of my life.