We got engaged in January 2025 — and while it wasn’t exactly the proposal either of us had planned, it couldn’t have been more “us.” For years, I told him my dream proposal would be at Lake Erie — a place that holds my heart because my dad raised me there. But after years of me playfully (and maybe not-so-subtly) antagonizing him about getting engaged, and several failed attempts at perfectly planned moments, he decided to throw the plans out the window and just go for it. He told me we were meeting Maddy to go on a walk (despite her being nine months pregnant, which I thought was a ridiculous idea) at Liebs Island. It was absolutely freezing, snow on the ground, and people were literally driving on the frozen lake behind us at Buckeye Lake (yes, not Lake Erie, but close enough, right?). Before I knew it, I turned around and there he was, down on one knee saying, “So are you going to be my wife or what?” At first, I didn’t believe he was serious — even with the ring right in front of me. The first words out of my mouth were, "do my parents know?" Once it clicked, I cried, he put the ring on, and we hugged. It was messy, spontaneous, cold, and perfect. It wasn’t the grand Lake Erie proposal we'd always talked about, but it was exactly what it was meant to be.