We met our sophomore year of high school when Matthew wished me a Happy 15th Birthday after school! We became best friends soon afterward. By our senior year of high school, he was captain of the drum line and I was the captain of the dance team. I always said we were the nerdy version of the quarterback and the head cheerleader! He played the music I would dance to and that has always been a special memory for us!

Anyone that knows us knows that Matthew is a planner and I go with the flow! So to celebrate Matthew's graduation from his Master's program, I decided to plan a surprise trip for us up in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. And I planned everything: the Airbnb we stayed at, the hiking trails we went on, and the restaurants and beautiful vineyards we visited. I didn't plan for a huge rainstorm, however, it seems like something always goes a little off plan when we're together! Little did I know he was planning the ultimate surprise the whole time! On our last day, Matthew woke me up really early and wanted to go on the Blue Ridge Parkway one more time. He insisted I not wear my pajamas, which I was really grumpy about at the time but am so grateful for now! We went to the Grandview Overlook and it was just perfect. The perfect view, with the perfect weather, and the perfect person. He was fidgety and nervous and I knew what had to be happening. I tried my best to play it cool but the proposal video definitely shows otherwise. He dropped to one knee, asked me to spend the rest of our lives together and all the nerves flushed away. It was the easiest "yes" I've ever said!

After being stuck in the same house as Taliah for a year during quarantine, I knew without a doubt that this is the person I want to spend every day with for the rest of my life. I had been searching for the right ring for Taliah for months, knowing that I wanted to propose to her with the perfect ring. But when she told me that she was taking me up to the mountains, I knew the timing would be perfect so I made the purchase. I had planned to propose to her on that Saturday. She had planned out a hike, a lunch date, and a few vineyard tours out in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. So that morning I put the ring in my pocket and off we went. Everything was going smoothly until the sky opened up and a torrential downpour forced us back inside. I tried my best to hide my frustration, but Taliah knows me better than that, so I pretended nothing was wrong and I was just grumpy because of the rain. But I wasn’t going to miss my chance at the perfect proposal. I woke her up first thing Sunday morning to watch the sunrise out on the Blue Ridge Parkway and put the ring back in my pocket. We arrived at our spot, Grand View Overlook, with nobody in sight. All of the anxieties I felt the day before washed away when I saw her smiling and taking in the view. While I set up the camera to “take some pictures of us” I could see her becoming nervous, as she could read me like a book. A few moments (and a few minor setbacks) later, she said yes.