A mutual friend of ours invited us both to a local soccer game. Katie instantly thought Dave was cute, but our friends ended up sitting between us the whole game. It wasn't until the game was over that we were able to talk to each other and being the southern gal she is, Katie hugged Dave goodbye.. that did it :)

Katie and I planned a trip to Europe together near our one year anniversary. We planned our journey together filled with food, sights, and adventures. Katie came up with so many great ideas for our trip, but, for me, there was one surprise for Katie that I just had to plan on my own. Trust me, it was not easy to keep this secret from the one who I knew was my soulmate. I can't tell you the number of times I nearly let the cat out of the bag. I picked out a ring. I asked her father for his blessing. We boarded our flight together to Amsterdam. Somehow, I managed to keep Katie from figuring it all out, and if you know how observant Katie is, it's much easier said the done. Before our trip, I told a few close friends and family about my plan to pop the question. Most people assumed that I was going ask her in Paris under the Eiffel Tower. I mean, I can't blame them. It's the "city of love" after all. But I had something different in mind. We landed in the Netherlands and before we could even check into our hotel we were on our way to the first stop on our adventure, the Keukenhof tulip gardens. Tulips are Katie's favorite flower, and Keukenhof had over 5 million of them. I could never have asked for a more beautiful or perfect place to ask Katie to marry me. We had been walking through the garden for over an hour through the most beautiful arrangements I've ever seen when we came across a perfect spot off the beaten path. It was up high with an amazing view and we could hear the running water from a nearby waterfall. That's when Katie said, "I love this spot." After a few moments she said, "Yeah, this is a great spot." And right before she was ready to move on, she again said, "I Iove this spot." Thats when I knew it. I took Katie's hand, I pulled that little jewelry box out of my pack, and got down on one knee. I wish I could remember all that I said but it all happened so fast. But what I do remember saying is, "Katie. I love you. Will you marry me?"