Honestly, we had both given up on finding "the one" but decided to give it one more shot on the dreaded dating apps. We matched on Bumble. October 13, 2022. We knew this was different because of how long we talked on the app consistently before meeting up. A month. We waited an exact month! We had our first date on November 13, 2022. It lasted over 5 hours (we actually got kicked out for being there for so long). We soon realized we were soulmates, and it was clear to everyone we were meant to be forever.

It actually started out in June of 2023. Sydney kept asking Ben what he would do if she proposed to him. He had plenty of goofy responses each time, but the overall message was "just don't do it- that's my job." We ended up having a conversation where we decided to begin planning our wedding. We decided to do things differently; do it our way. We agreed on a date for the wedding in 2024. Sydney promised to stop asking Ben to marry her, and Ben made a plan to make a surprise proposal sometime around our anniversary. The proposal (for real) On July 29, 2023; Ben took Sydney to the Waterfront in Washington State. They were just going for dinner to a fancy place called "The Cove." Ben had been acting odd the last week, but also kept reminding Sydney that the proposal wasn't able to happen until later in the year. They walked along the beautiful pathways and came upon full stem roses lining the way. He pulled her towards them and grabbed the ring sitting in its box on a rock. He had their friend Lianna there (hiding at first) to take pictures and videos of the whole thing. It was magical. Lianna was able to take the engagement photos right then and there. They celebrated by eating at The Cove, then stopping to get cookies, wine, and cheesecake from Winco on the way home.