Like a lot of millennials , we found each other on a dating app called Bumble. I remember calling Ian on my drive home from Richmond after taking Ella for surgery and we spoke on the phone so easily. I had to work so our first “meeting” was through FaceTime while I was waiting for my flight at the airport.

Our first date was April 14, 2021. I was so excited to meet him as talking to him came so naturally. We both agreed we never felt like strangers. We met in downtown Fredericksburg and I remember getting out of my car and he came from behind mine and we threw our arms around each other. There was an instant connection and I knew he was going to be someone special. We had dinner at the Capital Ale House and talked about airplane codes and traveling. Afterwards we went for a walk downtown. We had our second date a few days later where we went to Wegmans and got ingredients to make tacos. Our third date we went to the racetrack in Maryland (obviously Ians idea) and our fourth date was on my 34th birthday where we went to a winery with some of his friends. All these dates were all in the same 10 day time span lol. We made things “official” April 21, 2021.

Our first time traveling together, ironically, was to Charleston in June 2021. It’s always been my favorite city and I was excited to share it with Ian. Thankfully he loved it too! We went to the aquarium together on that trip and jokingly mentioned we could get married there. In September 2021 we went to my condo in Daytona Beach together for the week and he finally got the chance to meet my family. In December 2021 I went home with him to Newport, RI and got to meet his family. In April 2022 we had planned to go to London for 2 days and then hop around Italy for a week but Ian ended up testing positive for Covid our first day there and then shared it with me so for 2 weeks we were stuck together in London. We said it would be a test of our relationship being stuck in the same hotel room together that long and we passed 😂

We got engaged March 16, 2023 in Milan Italy! Ian’s original plan was to do it on the Mühlesteg ( Zurichs Love Lock Bridge) the night prior after we had an authentic fondue dinner but a homeless man was in the spot and his secondary spot had a group of teenagers smoking. The next day we had to get up early to catch a train to Chur to board the Bernina Express followed by a train to Milan. I was tired and cranky when we got to the hotel ( Hyatt Centric Milan Centrale room 1105) and I’m sure got on Ian’s nerves lol He made a comment in the elevator along the lines of wishing I wasn’t such a cranky traveler. I felt bad he felt that way and I also felt bad I was being that way. I decide to go shower to try to compose myself ( I was being a baby and crying in the shower) and when I came out he saw I was still upset and pulled me in for a hug. I laid down to nap and he said “ wait I have something that will ask you happy”. For a second I was thinking “is he about to propose?” and then my mind went to “maybe he’s giving me a stuffed animal or chocolate”. When I opened my eyes, he was down on his knee with the ring and simply asked “will you marry me?”. I thought I had fallen asleep and was imagining this but it was really happening! Never imagined I’d be getting engaged wearing flamingo pajamas laying in bed with wet hair but it was perfect. He felt that was his moment and it was very organic. We spent the evening enjoying our new engagement between just the two of us. We had a nice dinner at Il Tavolino and then went to the hotel spa where we had it to ourselves.