Alan and I got set up by mutual friends (shout out to Mark & Carter Comer!) in December 2019 on a blind date. When Carter was telling me about Alan, she mentioned he had a yellow lab, which I thought was great as I had just gotten a puppy. I did a quick Facebook search, and there he was - Thor! Just kidding :) But really, I said Alan looked like a nice guy and he had a sweet looking dog, so why not?! Alan got my number from Carter, who I worked with at the time, and texted me one evening to start the conversation. The text exchange went well and he asked me to get drinks soon. We settled on a popular wine bar in South End called Dilworth Tasting Room - little did I know it was a 2 minute walk from Alan's front door! We met for a drink and I instantly felt comfortable around him. About half way through our first (and only) glass of wine, I was hoping he would ask me out on a real date. When he finally did, I told him the next time slot I had open to join him for dinner was in 6 days... it was the Holidays afterall! Well, turns out he was busy that night I was free. So a Saturday Day Date it was! He picked me up in the early afternoon and took me to the White Water Center to go ice skating. Feeling awkward and clumsy, he went at my pace to help me get confident on the ice. After several laps, we decided it was time to grab a beer and watch the other clumsy people skate around. That afternoon, sitting on the rocks at the White Water Center in this winter wonderland, I never wanted the sun to go down and for the day to end. I had not laughed so much or so genuinely with anyone like that before. I knew this was not going to be just a couple of dates. And the rest is basically history! And bonus, our dogs became BFFs too!

As you may have already learned from The Blind Date Story, I had Walker in the palm of my hand by the end of the first date. Just kidding, it was quite the opposite if truth be told and that fact remains true to this day. After only a few months of dating, I was absolutely confident that Walker was the one, and I chose to propose one year after our first date. Walker had always said that if she got married in Charlotte, she wanted it to be at the Duke Mansion. As an avid Tar Heel, just the name of the place turned me off. However, after many visits to the Mansion during work hours (to avoid being caught), and much investigation, I was able to solidify all of the logistics for the big night. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knew the details of the night except Walker. To this day, she comments on how she can't believe no one spilled any beans. Eventually, the big day finally came, and it was time to shine. Upon arrival, I suggested a stroll through the garden around the back of the mansion so we could "explore." As we rounded toward the back of the gardens, we came upon a gazebo that was well lit with a wonderful picnic set up and some of my blankets in clear view. I made a joke that the blankets looked familiar, and she grinned a big pearly smile. She later confessed she had an inkling at this point but did not want to get her hopes up. We went inside to to check in. As we did so, I mentioned that there is a very neat fountain in front of the mansion, and we should step outside since we came through the back and didn't get to see it. As you may have guessed, this was the big moment to get her in front of the mansion with the majestic Christmas lights and Mansion backdrop. As we stepped outside, I could no longer contain myself. I stopped on my pre-determined spot, turned to face her, and said "You know, I could care less about that fountain." The rest of what I said is for her and I to know. I will tell you, she said "Yes."