Ryan and Brooke's love story began July 26th, 2013. At the suggestion of a mutual friend, the two were encouraged to attend a happy hour at Truman's Bar & Grill in Columbia, MO. Sparks flew and the pair began dating. Fast forward to December 2017, instead of giving each other traditional Christmas presents, Ryan and Brooke decided to take a trip to San Francisco in April 2018. Little did Brooke know that during Christmas 2017, Ryan would discuss his plan with her family to propose on this upcoming trip. The couple flew out early Friday morning, April 20th, 2018 to San Francisco. The first place on their agenda was visiting Muir Woods National Monument. When the pair got to the entrance, they found out that they needed a reservation to get into the park. Ryan, calm yet determined, got on his phone and made a reservation. The next time slot to get into the park wasn't for a couple hours, but Ryan suggested that they go ahead and try to get in earlier. Luckily they got into the park and didn't have to wait. Muir Woods National Monument is a beautiful and breathtaking redwood forest (check it out: https://www.nps.gov/muwo/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm). The couple didn't make it into the forest too far before Brooke saw the perfect area for a photo. There were a few ladies right behind them, so she asked if they'd mind taking some pictures. Afterwards, Brooke went to get her phone back and Ryan suddenly asks the lady if she would get a few more photos on his phone. This was completely out of character as Ryan isn't fond of taking pictures. The pair went back to the spot beneath the giant redwood trees. Ryan put his arm around Brooke and began saying how much he loves her and how beautiful and kind she is. It wasn't until Ryan got down on one knee, that Brooke's brain registered what was happening. Ryan asked her to marry him, and she said YES!

spending time with family, friends, & their dog Blue traveling & exploring new places trying new hot sauces amateur hiking cooking together watching TV & movies dressing up for Halloween dancing throwing darts & playing board games making each other laugh