for today and all our tomorrows

We started out as best friends. The type that tells each other everything and keeps all our deep secrets. People would joke and tell D'Andre "Just ask her out already" but we would always be grossed out by the comment. Then it all changed our sophomore year. D had worked up the nerve to ask me to be his girlfriend on New Year's day in 2013. I was too scared to say yes, so I sent him back to the friend zone. I didn't want to mess up the type of friendship we had going, but I thank God every day that he continued to "talk" to me. A little over a month later on February 17, 2013, he asked, "Will you make me the happiest guy in the world, and be my girlfriend?" I'll never forget it, and this time of course is I said "YES!"

Nine years later… My family came down to watch D’Andre's Friday night playoff game in San Antonio, or at least that’s the reason I was lead to believe. The next day D asked me if I wanted to go to dinner with our friends Alysa, Maegan, and Grant. At first, I didn't want to because my family was in town, and they were taking my nephew, Atlas, to Christmas downtown and I wanted to take him too. D consistently insisted that we go, and I finally caved and said "okay". All day, I thought it was a little odd that they all wanted to go to an early dinner because it isn't the norm for us, but I went along with it. After a while I just didn't pay it any attention. Time rolls around and Grant and Maegan pulled up to pick us up for dinner. On our way to dinner, so I thought, Grant makes a comment that he needs to stop at the high school baseball field to help Maegan's dad, Michael, with a lawn mower. To my defense he's always doing yard work! So, my gullible self believed it. When we pulled into the parking lot Maegan insisted that we ALL get out. Walking through the gates D'Andre grabs my hand and as soon as we step out onto the field I start looking for Michael, but D was pulling me toward home plate. Once I turn in the direction that he was pulling me I see the light up letters spelling out, “MARRY ME”. I eventually stopped yelling “Shut up!" and D’Andre gets down on one knee. I'm trying to take this moment all in but I've been waiting on this for 9 years, so "YES!" flew out way to fast. I was so blessed and grateful with how it all happened. Something so simple to some, yet so special to me. In the most special place. Where we had our first kiss, and from that moment on wedding planning began!