Celebrate with us!

In high school I had gotten a job with the anticipation of needing to pay for college. Thanks to some friends who already had a job, they helped me start working at the Chick-Fil-A near the Arundel Mills mall. A few months into working we hired this short, dark and handsome man, Nathan Carper. One day before a shift we were both eating dinner together as we tended to do as coworkers. He didn't like me at first, but eventually he came around..... his mother later asked me to be his girlfriend on his behalf as she told him to "Have fun with your girlfriend, but not too much fun" when we hadn't made anything official yet.

For the past couple of years we had been going to Florida for vacation with his family. His aunt and uncle live in a beautiful house in Polk County that we were welcomed warmly to stay. On our 2018 trip we had taken a beautiful ride to Treasure Island beach which is near Tampa and St. Petersburg, their favorite beach in Florida to visit. After a long day of wading the waves, drinking beers and collecting seashells it was finally time to eat dinner. We sat at some public picnic tables that were shaded from the hot Florida sun as burgers were being made on the charcoal grills, they were delicious. Not wanting to sit for the hour and a half ride home on a full stomach, I suggested to everyone that we take a walk along the beach and try to find some more shells before going home. Unknowingly I had brought my camera that day and we snapped some photos along the beach as well. Nathan wanted to get a photo of us on the beach, so I happily handed over my camera and went to find a good spot on the beach for our photo! As I'm running around the beach trying to find a spot that wouldn't get too many other people in it, I turn around and see Nathan down on the sand. As many beers as I had had that day I can't blame myself for what I said to him, "Nathan how did you fall on the sand!? Get up we have to take a picture!" He maybe got back up a couple paces as I continued looking for a spot before he finally returned to me, "Amanda get back here I want to take the picture here!" That's when I had then turned around to see him holding out a beautiful clam shell ring box, with my ring inside it. Though many hysterical tears I said, "Yes."