After matching on a dating app, Nick and I set up a date to meet at Smith’s Point Beach, which, to me, is the best spot to catch a sunset. Knowing him now, it’s no surprise that our first meeting turned out to be hilarious. We were trying to figure out which of the two beach entrances to meet at, and, of course, we kept confusing each other. After about ten minutes of back-and-forth, I finally figured out which entrance he was at. I was walking in, still on the phone with him, scanning the area, when I noticed an older man in front of me, also talking on his phone. I thought to myself, Oh no, please tell me this isn’t a catfish situation. I kept following him, wondering if the voice on the phone would match the man in front of me. As I got closer to the exit of the tunnel entrance, I finally saw Nick standing there. Thank God I thought that old man was you! We both burst out laughing and made our way to the beach together. We laid down a blanket, talked for hours, and shared stories about everything under the sun. As the evening got colder, we ended up lying side by side, staring up at the stars. I was shivering, and out of nowhere, Nick asks, “Do you want me to smother you?” I looked at him in confusion, and he quickly corrected himself, “I meant… do you want me to cuddle you?” We both laughed, and to this day, I tease him about that moment, saying, Remember when you tried to kill me on our first date? Despite the mix-up, the date was perfect—just the right mix of laughs, warmth, and sweet nothings under the stars. When the night ended, Nick walked me to my car, gave me a big hug, and sent me off with a smile. From that night on, we spent nearly every day together. Fun Fact: The universe tried to bring us together once before! On our second date we talked more about our families that we love and what they did for a living. I told him my dad owns a landscaping business, and he mentioned that his dad owned a hardware store. I asked, Which one? and he said, The True Value in Middle Island. My heart skipped a beat—I realized that store was my dad’s favorite! He used to bring me there all the time when I was little, and I remembered his dad always handing me a lollipop when I’d leave. And get this—his brother even sold me my first kite! It felt like the universe was connecting the dots for us in the most beautiful way. We’d been so close for so long without even knowing it.
Milos, Greece has always been at the top of our bucket list, and experiencing it was truly a dream come true. When we visited this past June, it exceeded all our expectations and more. The beaches, the food, the breathtaking nature—everything was absolutely out of this world. On our last night there, we thought it would be a good idea to take sunset pictures at Sarakiniko Beach. Right by the edge of the water out of nowhere, Nick gets down on one knee and asked me to marry him. We had already picked out the ring, and I knew an engagement was coming, but it was our last day, and we were leaving the next morning. I never noticed the box tucked in his pocket, so when he proposed, I was overcome with emotion, saying, I didn’t think you were going to do it! Of course, I said yes, and we spent the rest of the evening capturing memories of our engagement. We ended the night with a romantic dinner by the water, celebrating our new chapter with a toast.