Flash forward to January 10th, 2021. I don’t remember much about the day itself, but that night, sitting alone at my desk in my Walmart-brand swivel chair, I had a realization. Having spent nearly a year together, growing so much, discovering so much, and truly feeling like we were placed on earth to be with each other, I knew I needed to marry Allison. The next morning, I grabbed a lime green sticky note and wrote the date—1/11/21. Below it, I slowly penned:

Hi Allison Marie,

Last night, I realized how I will ask you to marry me.

Love,

Jacob

I hid the note away in a blank envelope in my desk. The following day, I wrote another:

1/12/2021

Every day, I will write you a note to tell you how much I love you.

Love,

Jacob

And again, five days later:

1/17/2021

Well, I already missed a few days. But I hope the

lifetime we share together will make it up!

~ Love,

Jacob

Over the next few years, I wrote her notes sporadically, not knowing exactly how I would use them, but certain they would play a role in the proposal.

After saving up enough money, I bought Allison’s ring in late September of 2023. It was then that I began to finalize my plans. There is a wooden lookout at our favorite walking trail overlooking the river. At least once a week, we walk there, sharing stories, talking about our future, or complaining about our jobs. Allison has a way of making the mundane beautiful.

Being by the water was important to me for the proposal. The day before I asked her out, we had taken a spontaneous trip to the beach with friends late at night. We found a wooden pier and lay together, gazing at the stars. The lookout by the river captured that feeling perfectly.

I set the proposal date in my mind for November 21st, four years after our night at the beach. To cover my tracks, I arranged a photo session with our photographer friend, ensuring the date was saved.

But something was missing. Allison has a deep love for her friends and family, and it pained me that they couldn’t be part of the proposal. So, I decided to involve them in the sticky notes.

I reached out to all her loved ones, asking them to write a note about why Allison is such a brilliant person. Over the next few months, letters poured in from all over the country, each containing colorful sticky notes filled with love.

The original date was rained out, so we postponed to the 24th. Luckily, this delay eased any suspicion that the photo shoot might be more than it seemed. I arrived early to the lookout to set up the notes. Along the trail, sticky notes were placed for her to read, leading up to the spot.

When she arrived, hundreds of notes from myself and her loved ones were scattered along the wooden lookout. After reading a few, just like the day I first asked her out in a hallway in the Center for Arts at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, I read her a poem, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry me. I couldn’t be happier that she said yes.

We are beyond excited to celebrate with you nearly a year later, on November 23rd, 2024!

~ Jacob

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