Like many traditional millennial couples, we met online! On our first date, we couldn't get enough of each other's company. We went from a delicious dinner at Italian Garden, to bowling (Colleen won of course), to having a few drinks, and finally a short Netflix binge (only like 4 episodes of the Office). From day one we have been the best of friends, and we intend on making that our lifetime goal.

Our 2020, like most people's, did not go exactly as planned. After months of pandemic blues, we finally took a few days off and drove to the coast for my birthday. I knew Jake had purchased *the* ring back in March (the week before the world shutdown), but I did not know much else aside from that. On the last morning of our trip, Jake suggested we get up early to watch the sun rise over the ocean and take some photos... I knew something was up! Anytime I suggest getting up early or taking pictures of any kind, I am met with a resounding groan, so this was a tad out of the ordinary. We arrived on the beach about 20 minutes before sunrise, set up the tripod, and posed in front of the beautiful ocean. He didn't waste much time at all getting one down on one knee...which was met with a loud "JACOB!" The suspense had been killing me the entire trip, so it was nice to finally laugh about all of his schemes! To top it all off, he recorded the whole thing for us to watch and reminisce about over the years :)

After almost 5 years of being with Colleen I had finally worked up the courage, and done the research, to propose. With some help from our friend Laura I placed the order for the ring in March. Of course, due to the pandemic I had to wait until July to finally pick it up, and after I saw the ring in person for the first time, things got REAL! Originally, I had wanted to propose in Colorado, a short time after Colleen had finished school. Instead we ended up taking a short trip to the beach around Colleen's birthday. As most people know, I am TERRIBLE at keeping presents a secret and I knew I wouldn't be able to hold out for long. So it was my idea to hit the beach before sunrise for "pictures". When we got to the beach I could tell she knew something was up, but she tried to play it off. As we finally found a good spot and with the sun just starting to rise, I set up our tripod and "set the timer" on my phone. I had actually turned the video recording on and as I got back to Colleen I knelt down and nervously asked her to marry me. Her response was to slap my arm and exclaim, "JACOOOBAH!" I'm so happy to start my journey with her and I'm excited to see what the future holds.