Dana's perspective on how she got the boy: We first met on a random Thursday night at our church in Fall of 2021, when our friend Chris introduced us and said to Cody, "This is Dana. She's cool." About 5 or 6 months passed with no interaction, when I started serving on the Safety and Medical Ministry Team, which wouldn't ya know, a familiar-looking, handsome blonde man also served on. Within a few weeks of serving together, I quickly began taking more notice of Cody. I was drawn to how he cared for and served those around him, and I noticed how highly others spoke of Cody. Not to mention, he was cute. I was crushing hard. The next couple of months went by, friendship between us developed, conversation was effortless and fun, and I was just praying this boy noticed me as much as I noticed him. I tried dropping not-that-all-so-subtle hints I was interested... (Ask us about our accidental double date or the mystery man "Alan" I used to coax Cody to come play volleyball with me on a Sunday night.). Finally, in early April of 2022, Cody asked me on a date and our friendship seamlessly developed into the greatest relationship I've ever experienced with another person... I got the boy. Cody's perspective on how the girl got him: Through serving with Dana (shoutout to the Monday night team), I quickly noticed how intentional she was in conversation, specifically her ability to ask great questions. Some I had answers to, some she made me freaking dig for... in the best way. Friends around me also noticed our conversations... silently making faces at me behind Dana's back and texting me pictures of us as we sat there talking. At the time, I was still in the middle of a job transition and was technically only in Dallas temporarily during a break in training. With this in mind, I specifically held back on asking Dana on a date as I didn't want it to go great, only to then be like "Well I'm based in Chicago, soooo see ya!" (I told myself I was thinking of her feelings in that moment but let's be real... I would've died.) Well the day I received my transfer back to Dallas, I quickly sent her a screenshot and the excitement began growing. Unfortunately, when I finally reached the point of finally deciding to ask her out on an actual date, my predicaments grew. As it turned out, she still didn't have her taste back (@covid) and subsequently didn't like the new tastes of most foods or coffee. As I recalled, however, she and her brother had both been hockey players, and I decided a stars game was going to be my go to option. I had my in. *mission impossible music*

Cody showed up at my house at 5 am on a Tuesday, November morning. "We're going on a trip today." "Today?" "Yes." "Are we coming back today?" "Nope." Do I need to pack a bag?" "Nope." "Airplane or driving?" "Airplane." Off to the airport we went. Only to get there and see Cody pull out 2 suitcases from his car. He had my roommate pack me a bag while I was asleep and put in it everything I would need. "Where are we going?" "I'm not telling you." We approach our gate. The sign reads "San Francisco." We land in SF, only for me to learn we have another plane to board. We approach our second gate. "Las Vegas." I was confused... Confident Cody knows me well, it was no secret that I'm not exactly a Vegas person. We land in Vegas. Cody begins chiming in with comments leading to more confusion like, "What if I got us rooms at a hotel right on the strip? Right in the middle of the action?" I chuckled, unsure if he was kidding or serious, but for fear he was serious and didn't want to seem ungrateful, kept my mouth shut... A bus took us to a rental car, where I soon realized we still had one more leg of traveling—driving to Utah—Zion National Park—a place we had dreamed about visiting together one day... now that made more sense! After a day and a half of a beautiful trip in Zion, Cody told me that tonight was going to be a cute dinner date. We drove and we drove outside of the park for about an hour, only to pass this beautiful clearing (see the banner picture on this page... I mean, c'mon!!). I was the first one to notice it, "Cody, look to the right!! It's so beautiful out here." But Cody kept driving... "Maybe it'll be a better view further up." It wasn't. There were a bunch of trees blocking the view, so he turned the car around and went back to the spot. Another car was parked there, and a photographer was out in the field a ways, taking pictures of the landscape and wildlife. "Let's get out of the car and take a picture," Cody said. "But there's a photographer out there. Isn't there etiquette to follow so we don't get in his way?" I asked. "Yeah, don't interrupt him, and stay out of his shot." I walked wide, but Cody did the opposite of the words he had spoke just seconds before. He walked straight up to the guy and asked him to take a picture of us. He smiled and happily did so. Cody and I turned around to take in the view, and before I knew it, Cody was on one knee asking me to marry him. "Today?" I asked, not believing he was finally proposing after what felt like months of waiting. "Today." That day, I learned the cliché is true... it was my easiest yes.

So I finally had the ring. I knew I wanted to propose to Dana at this point but didn't know how. In my head I was justing thinking something simple, unique, outdoors, and away from a crowd of people... easier said than done in the DFW area. Maybe a field or a nearby lake??? I found out that one of Dana's close friends was also about to get engaged so I started coming up with rough plans to have her "set her friend up" (with the friend in on it) only to instead be setting Dana up for her own proposal instead. Plans changed however and this option fell through for me so I had to divert. I knew that by this point Dana was on high alert already so if I did something abnormal (like drive her out to a random field) she'd probably be suspicious. So instead I decided to get extra creative. If she was going to be highly suspicious or anticipate this thing, then we might as well have a bunch of fun along the way. After a TON of research, I finally settled on Zion and my plan began to fall into place. I found a picture of a spot just outside of the park and knew instantly it was what I had been looking for. I then travelled for miles on google maps street view, watching the landscape and mountains to try and find this unknown, elusive spot... I finally found it and was able to track down the photographer, and he agreed to help me pull this thing off. A ton of people helped me to keep the trip a surprise; my sister filled in for Dana's plans to house sit, her friends stayed quiet about the meetings she wouldn't be making, Dana's boss covered her work, her CG girls helped plan a celebration for afterward, and her roommates packed a bag and agreed to watch her dog while we were away. The photographer and I had coordinated already, but when we drove over the hill and Dana "found the spot" he was just getting out of his car and looking at me quickly approaching. I wanted him to have the time to get his camera settings right so... I just kept driving past. Dana was pissed. I convinced her "we should see if there's another clearing further up" while buying time. After a few minutes, I turned around and pulled back up to our soon to be engagement spot. After I asked the "stranger" to take our picture, we wandered out into the field where I dropped a knee. I then recited Isaiah 54:10 (a chapter I've taken great comfort in over the years) along with a few favorite lyrics from a song... and then asked Dana to marry me.