WE'RE MARRIED!

Loc and I met while working at Schubas Tavern in 2016. Fast forward a few months, I asked Loc to model for me in one of my college photography classes. We went out for coffee afterwards and it feels like we’ve been together every day since then. Our first official date was to the Art Institute of Chicago followed by dinner at one of my favorite sushi restaurants where Loc ordered the biggest, messiest chicken wings (a glimpse into what I was signing up for). A month or two later, Loc accidentally said “I love you” and I said it back. We both meant it.

In July last year, we made our annual trip to Smith Mountain Lake to visit with Loc’s parents and take a little vacation. It’s an 11+ hour drive from Chicago and we arrived around 10pm. As we all chatted over dinner, Loc’s parents mentioned that the sunrise over the lake is beautiful and that we should get up early to see it. I was exhausted and didn’t want to think about getting up that early, but I was polite and said “oh yeah, maybe, that sounds nice.” (Meanwhile, Loc is setting an alarm on his phone for 6am.) In the early morning, Loc is gently nudging me awake saying his parents are getting the boat out and we should go with them to see the sunrise. I don’t get up, but 20 minutes later he comes back and says his parents took the boat so we should just make some coffee and go sit on the dock. This I can get behind, so we go. I notice that Loc grabs his guitar case as we walk out the door and I think, “that would be a good place to hide a ring box.” (We had been in a relationship for 4+ years, you know.) Down at the dock, it’s absolutely peaceful and we’re the only people in sight. Loc starts playing the song “Everything” by Michael Bublé and I try not to cry. Once he’s finished the song, he asks me to stand up so he can give me a hug. Over his shoulder, I can see his parents nearby in the boat with the engine off, Loc’s dad moving it sneakily along with a kayak paddle and his mom craning over the bow, arms outstretched with phone in hand. Before I can process what's happening, Loc is down on one knee in front of me asking me to marry him. We both start crying as I say “yes.” We hug again and Loc’s parents start cheering and clapping from the boat as they pull up to the dock. I still can’t believe we drove all that way together and Loc was able to keep such a secret! You'll have to ask him for his side of the story sometime.