We met in December of 2020 and started building a friendship. Over time, that friendship grew into love. My daughters absolutely adore him. We officially began dating in October of 2022, and on July 8th, 2024, Anthony proposed by the beautiful ocean.

Our relationship is built on the three F’s: Faith, friendship, and food!

I (Summer) have always been independent, but our story proves that love can break down any walls. Anthony had been praying for a strong Christian woman. Little did he know, she had been right in front of him the whole time, since the time we met. He says he had a few flashes of me being “the one,” and eventually, that’s exactly what happened.

I always used to say, “I don’t date,” and Anthony, being a bit shy in that area, took it as a sign not to pursue me. My daughter kept saying, “If he doesn’t ask you out soon, you’ve got to stop hanging out with him!” Then one evening, while Anthony was over for dinner, another man called me. That was his wake-up call. He realized he might lose his chance if he didn’t act fast. The very next day, I came home to a beautiful bouquet of flowers on my kitchen counter. Somehow, Anthony had snuck past my guard dog and made his move… and the rest is history.

Before making it official, he went to my girls and asked if it would be okay to ask their mom to be his girlfriend. They were both overjoyed! On our first official date, he asked me to be his girlfriend over dinner at a Brazilian steakhouse.

The proposal totally caught me off guard. We were on a family trip for my 50th birthday, and it was a day! We got a flat tire… the spare was also flat… we were stuck in the middle of nowhere. It was hot, no one had cell service, the call box didn’t work, and emergency vehicles just kept driving right past us. At one point, we loaded the tire into my mom’s car to get it fixed while Anthony and the crew waited roadside for over two hours. I had to pee so bad, and Anthony was so overwhelmed he seriously considered proposing to me right there on the side of the road!

But he waited and he was resilient. We finally made it to Mendocino, and that’s when he popped the question. I was completely surprised… and completely sure.

Now, we’re so excited for our happily ever after!