They say you find love when you least expect it. I don't think anyone expected to find it during the 2020 COVID pandemic. While the world was in a panic, Zane and I began finding comfort in each other. We met each other online and immediately connected on so many different levels, from knowing innately that Ford trucks are better than all others to having similar values and principles. In a matter of days we became each others "bubble" and found solace in a quickly changing world. Some couples came and went with COVID, but we were focused on growing and figuring out who we were as a couple now that the world was "opening up". Our first "official date", meaning one that we could actually go out to a restaurant, came a year after we started dating. The past three years we have spent together have been filled with joy, tears, and laughter. Each and every day we choose each other. Each and every day we make ourselves better people. Each and every day we remember that love is the most important gift we have been given. And, for that, we are so thankful.

One of the key things that we had in common when we started dating was some sort of knowledge and interest in cars. For Zane, he loves everything about cars from the mechanics to the looks. For me, I grew up with NASCAR playing every Sunday in my house while my dad made tacos. When NASCAR came to Sonoma Raceway, we knew we had to go. Our first trip was in 2023 and we had an amazing time. There was a ferris wheel that was set up next to the track so it felt as though you were hovering over the cars. I had never experienced anything like it. Usually I find ferris wheels peaceful, however, every now and then a car would pass and a jolt of adrenaline would shoot through me. When we went back in 2024, Zane knew that the ferris wheel was where he wanted to propose. However, I don't think he thought about the fact that there may not actually BE a ferris wheel. While I cannot speak to how Zane must have been feeling internally, I can tell you I had a blast! On our way back to the car, uphill, in the summer heat, after being in the sun, Zane decided it was now or never. Too bad I had other plans in mind. Like having an asthma attack and desperately needing water and to sit down. So, after the third time of Zane telling me to stand up, and the fourth time of me telling him to leave me to die on the side of the hill, I stood up to look at the view. And the rest is history...