We're Getting Married!

We have tried to figure this out, and based on messages, we estimate it was sometime in 2010. We had met through mutual friends one night while celebrating a birthday party. Over the years, we would occasionally see each other at other parties. Every time, a spark would reignite; we were the only people in the room. Nobody and nothing else mattered; our time and focus were only on each other. We would spend the entire party talking and flirting. These conversations would continue into online messages, but nothing ever came from it. We both felt a connection, and our friends saw it, but the timing was never right until our first date.

This story depends on who tells it. Ceci will say she asked Joseph out, but Joseph will tell you the entire story. In October 2019, the A's clinched a spot in the Wild Card Game, so Joseph bought tickets to the game and invited Ceci. Ceci had just returned from vacation, so she was unable to attend. Joseph ended up selling the game tickets, and the A's lost because we weren't there to root them on (Joseph's words). Two weeks later, Ceci texted Joseph and asked him to meet for happy hour the following week. After looking for locations to grab a drink, Joseph invited Ceci to Mad Oak. It was our first date outside of a mutual friend setting. We laughed, talked shit, and had great conversations like the previous times. This time though, it was different. That spark reignited into a wildfire that continues to spread.

Joseph started shopping for rings in February of 2021. We had talked about diamond shapes and joked many times about getting married. Having an idea of what Ceci wanted for a wedding ring and a vision of his own, Joseph decided to design the ring and find a company to produce it. We both wanted to travel for vacation, so we planned to visit Puerto Rico in late June 2021. Joseph knew this was where he was going to propose, and the pressure was on to complete the ring. While in Puerto Rico, he carried it daily to build up the nerve and ask Ceci to marry him. Ceci had booked a trip to hike in El Yunque Rainforest, but this wasn't any regular hike. The hike consisted of rock waterslides and cliff jumping. With the ring loosely in his pocket, Joseph knew he had to get it on Ceci's finger before jumping into a river. When we got to the first waterfall, Joseph took this opportunity to get on one knee and ramble unknown words. With Joseph at the ground level, Ceci didn't know what was happening and wasn't sure if the proposal was another joke. After an awkward pause, she eventually said, "Yes!"