The Beginning:

Three weeks back in his hometown, Travis was ready to pack up and hit the road again; but a chance dream the night before had him convinced he should stay awhile. Instead of leaving town the next day he went out applying for bartending jobs.

The mellow mushroom in Wellington FL happened to be run by a couple of Ohioans, and, having some Columbus OH roles on his resume recently, Travis got the job the day he walked in.

A date with Alex, however, did not come so easy.

Alex had been a server at the restaurant for three years, and she was very adamant about not dating her coworkers. She was impervious to Travis moves, including continuously asking her to prom.

After several weeks, and Travis’s persistence, Alex decided to give him a chance. Travis was very easy to talk to and made her laugh a lot but she still wasn’t sure. The date ended and Travis walked Alex to her car. They said goodbye and parted. Alex was about to open her car door and hears Travis call to her, she turns around and he runs over, grabs her and kisses her. It was in the moment that Alex found she was completely smitten.

The Proposal:
Three and a half years later, after traveling the US together, picking strawberries in Oregon, seeing the Space Needle, working along the way in Colorado and Las Vegas, and finding their way back to their mutual hometown, Travis decided there was no more time to waste; he had to marry Alex.

Valentine’s Day was around the corner and Travis knew that although Alexandra would love a nice necklace or a pair of earrings, a ring would top all, and so that’s what he brought.

They had reserved a table at a Brazilian steakhouse for that night, and Travis, making sure not to skip a step, stopped by her father’s work about 5 hours prior. Alexandra’s dad responded quickly when Travis asked for his blessing, saying “you better call and ask her mom.”

So there in the auto garage they called Alex’s mother, and Travis asked for her blessing.

Within minutes the rest of her sisters knew what Alexandra did not— that she was getting engaged that night. And every phone call Alex took between then and their date had Travis nervous that she’d catch on.

Without a hitch, the night went on. The ring sat at the bottom of Travis’s pocket and he waited and waited until just the right moment, when they stopped to take a photo under a pergola on their way out of dinner.

There he told her that he loved her. He told her that he wanted to always love her. He got down on one knee and he asked her if she wanted the same.

She said yes.