The countdown until our forever is on!

Thinking back to this night puts a huuugggge smile on our faces! We both attended a ring dunk party at A&M. Funny thing was neither of us wanted to be there that night! We both had gone through big life transitions and rarely went out at the time! Looking back, I thank God we both ended up in the same place, at the same time! When I walked into the celebration, I noticed a group of really fun guys across the room, so I decided to make my way over and say hello to make new friends. Turns out, Ian was one of them!! As I greeted all of them, Ian wouldn’t tell me his name and then after I kept guessing wrong, he playfully said it was James (this was his way of flirting) and that the only way we would be friends is if I supported him at his A&M club soccer game the next day...so of courrssseeee he needed to add me on social media to send me the information. All night, we talked about our favorite things, what we looked forward to most that year, why meatballs and bbq sauce belong together, and laughed about how bad I was at the card games we were playing! My heart felt like I had known him for years. As the night went on, one of his buddies came up to me to ask how it was going with Ian, I asked in confusion, “Uh...Who is Ian? That’s James!” Everyone was laughing at the fact that I didn’t know this guys real name yet we were hitting it off all night!! As the night came to an end, and with the feeling of butterfly’s in my stomach, I asked Ian to pose for a picture before he left. He immediately threw his hands up and gave the biggest cheese! I immediately sent the picture to my best friend and said, “I just met the love of my life.” It was truly an unforgettable night! Fun fact: I still have his contact on Snapchat saved as what he entered it that night: “James is kinda awesome”

If you know Ian, you know he is not one for surprises. Heck, he opens up his gifts early for any special occasion because he doesn’t like the suspense of waiting or being caught off guard!!! Well on the day of our 4 year anniversary, Ian surprised me like never before!! Seriously, I had no idea at all. The day started out by asking me if I preferred to get a mani/pedi or go get a professional massage. Knowing I’d choose a mani/pedi, (this man knew I’d want my nails to look pretty for the ring pictures) Ian spent the entire time I was at the nail salon decorating the living room for what would be my surprise proposal. He was so nervous and even forgot to make sure the video cameras he set up were properly working....we laugh about that now!! He had planned this for weeks and even went as far as including my family and friends by asking for their opinions on my ring and proposal decorations! I came home in total shock when I saw string lights hung up, handwritten notes carefully tied to blown up balloons, flowers covering every inch of the floor, and 100 candles lit up (yes. he. lit. 100. candles. up.) I even heard one of our favorite songs playing in the background!!! As I saw the last note card leading up to him read, "How does forever sound?" I saw him on one knee as he popped the question. I fell into his arms saying YES YES YES! I cried tears of happiness knowing I’d get to feel this loved for the rest of my life! I don’t know what I did to deserve this man, but I get to spend eternity thanking God and making memories with him by my side!