We're getting hitched!

Our story is nothing short of a blessing and gift from God. Our first initial contact was on December 6th, 2022 on a dating app called Hinge. We know, it's not the most magical love story you were probably expecting. But to us, it is the best love story that could ever exist. Through difficult prayers and the trust and hope we had in the Lord, God decided it was finally time to bring us together and begin writing our love story. On December 11th, 2022, we went on our first date. Sean initiated first, met Sarah within just a week of being on the app (a total God send!). We met at Fika Coffeehouse in Parker on Mainstreet in the evening, and all the trees were gorgeously lit with Christmas lights. At the doors of Fika, Sean pulled out a bouquet composed of a white rose, and baby's breath flowers wrapped in newspaper and a white bow. At this moment, Sarah told herself "wow, what a gentleman!" by the end of our date, we both knew that it was going to be forever. December 21st was the date Sean made our relationship official! From there we enjoyed our first holidays together as boyfriend and girlfriend: Christmas, New Years Eve, Valentines Day in which we celebrated at The Melting Pot and July 4th. So many amazing memories that we will cherish forever!

We got engaged on September 9th, 2023 at Maggianos Little Italy! Let me just say that I was not expecting it at all. (Everyone applaud for Sean's amazing secretive planning skills). A couple months before this night, Sean had reached out to my cousin Laney for some help, and he also shared the upcoming news with his whole family and mine! I applaud my family for keeping it a secret all that time. That day, he treated me to get my nails done at Blue Sky Nails in Parker. Afterward, we got dressed up and ready for dinner. Once again, in comes Sean with a gorgeous bouquet of red roses and a variation of other flowers. Once we got to Maggianos, the host took us upstairs to a semi-secluded area. At this point, even with the nails and secluded dinner spot, I STILL had no idea. I still had the thought in my mind that we weren't going to get engaged until the next year, as stated by Sean himself. Then came the moment where he went down on one knee and proposed to me at the dinner table. It was so magical! The most funny memory was when I looked over to see two "strangers" taking out their phones to videotape it. I came to find out that one of them was Sean's coworker Leslie who helped plan the whole night, and one of her friends! Thank you Leslie for being there and capturing such a beautiful moment for us! To end the night with a bang, we went to a Candlelight Event downtown that was pre-planned, and we enjoyed a night listening to a 4-person String Quartet, playing theme songs from the popular Nintendo Switch game, Zelda.

I was just some knucklehead without a clue. I was blessed enough to travel the world as a missionary kid, and later, a missionary in my own right. When I returned to the States, I knew I wanted to start looking for roots to put down and I continued to pursue the Lord in all that I could and continued praying, hoping that the Lord would give me an opportunity to find someone amazing. And He provided. I set out my search for a likeminded, Christ oriented, wonderful woman, and that's who I found. In late November of '22, I started to dip my toes back in the dating pool, only to run across Sarah. Not a week after we started talking, we went on our first date. We continued going on fun dates over the course of a month, and we decided to make it official. From the earliest of days together, I knew this was real, and I knew it was a gift. We continued our pursuit of each other over the course of the next 10 or so months only to find that I didn't want to date her anymore, but rather I wanted to make her my wife. I tricked her into thinking that her proposal wasn't coming until the following year, and once I was confident that she was convinced, I set my plan into motion. I set her up to get her nails done, got us some reservations at a nice quiet restaurant, and had tickets to a string quartet later that evening that would play by candlelight. One of my friends who she hadn't met yet was planted in the crowd, ready to take photos as soon as we got there. I proposed during our meal and the rest was history. I cannot wait to spend my life with this wonderful, amazing woman. Never have I felt so cared for or understood by another person. Here's to the future!