A mutual friend of ours was leading up a volleyball small group at our church. We both signed up & happened to end up on the same team. Let me just say, I’m pretty competitive so Jeremy saw my feisty side the moment we met. Thankfully it was something he liked and that drew him to want to get to know me better. During volleyball one evening Jeremy invited a few friends and I to go bowfishing with him. I. LOVE. FISHING. I jumped on the opportunity to go and try something new. Unfortunately it was a slow night and my first impression of it was boring! Ha gradually Jeremy & I would communicate but his intentions were never very obvious. He was subtle about his interest which made me believe he wasn’t interested at all even when our pastors and my friends were telling me otherwise.

Jeremy and I had hung out a few times with his family and some friends before ever having our first date. He originally asked me to go on our first date to see Elf the musical at the Saenger Theatre in New Orleans. The time frame for the show was so far away that we agreed to have a different first date. He took me to China Doll (his favorite Chinese restaurant). I was so unsure of my feelings for him that I almost canceled our second date. Even after our second date, I wasn’t sure about him, but I kept giving him a chance & He kept proving that he was going to be around for the long haul. He was so patient while I sorted out all of my emotions and uncertainty. He has been my greatest friend.

In November 2019, I suddenly lost my mom. 3 weeks later my father had a heart attack and went into organ failure. During this process Jeremy had asked my dad for permission to marry me. At the end of January my father passed away and a few days later I lost my job. Life at this point was so confusing. The only thing I was sure of was Jeremy. May 18-21, 2020 I started a new job Jeremy was in the process of planing the engagement (secretly of course!) My friend asked me if we’d be a part of a video for our church relaunching. We would need to get dressed up and do a little dancing on May, 21. I agreed. All week he had been acting a little different but I just assumed it was because he was nervous about the video.

May 21, 2020 —After I got off work, Jeremy & I dressed up and headed out to the church. Little did I know he and a few others had been setting up all day for the proposal. As we pulled into the parking lot I texted my friend to let her know we had arrived and questioned Jeremy for why he was driving through the grass instead of parking. As we came to a stop I saw the sweetest little set up. A canopy tent and pillows & blankets, with lights hanging in the trees. A wooden arch decorated with lights, pictures of us and flowers. A TV was playing a slideshow of more pictures as music played in the background. A table was set up with all the things I had given him throughout our relationship and a few other things from our dates. A picture of my parents & his sat on the table also. As we exited the car I began to get a little suspicious but still assumed he was just doing a cute little date night. I walked around taking it all in and he guided me to the table. He picked up a Chinese calendar from our first date and we reminisced. He then picked up a second one where he explained that it was from one of the last times we had dined at China Doll. The special thing about it was that it had “today’s date”. He then unrolled it and on the back he had Will You Marry Me. I began to shake and get super giddy as he got down on one knee. I said yes as he placed his grandmother’s ring on my finger and we shared a kiss. We spent a few moments alone, then my friend came out to snap a few pictures of us. We had always talked about having a cereal date but never got the chance to actually do it. However that night, he made sure to give me the date night I had always wanted. He is my greatest friend, greatest adventure, greatest lesson, and greatest love. He is an answer to many prayers and a promise fulfilled.