It all started on a softball field in Kansas when I asked Paul to rub icy hot on my shoulder and the rest is history. Hey, I had to get his attention some how. At least if you ask him that’s what he will tell you. A couple of months later we saw each other at the softball field again and the rest is history. Of course our story has always involved softball. It was one of the first things we had bonded over and continue to enjoy doing together. We have traveled to so many places together, made so many memories, and gained so many new friends on the way.
In May of 2021 Paul asked me to be his girlfriend in the most Paul fashion. I was sitting on the kitchen counter top and he walked out of his room looked at me and said, “Do you want to be my girlfriend for the weekend?” Apparently that weekend never ended for us. It’s a question I will always be grateful for because that day I gained my forever best friend. Cue Paul’s gagging noises. If you know, you know.

In November of 2023 Paul and I were traveling to Colorado to celebrate our friends Doug and Mady getting married. We stayed a few extra days and explored Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National park. If anyone knows Paul, you know he loves to hike, explore, and be outdoors. The first day we hiked with a group of our friends and walked around Estes park. We visited a jewelry store where of course I looked at the rings. We visited a couple other stores and had dinner with some friends.

The next day we went back to Rocky Mountain National Park and hiked another trail. We got up to a waterfall that was frozen over and took a couple of pictures and, of course, Paul hiked a little farther to see above the waterfall. As we were walking back I hear him say my name. When I turned around he was looking at me with a small pinecone in his hand and said, “I know I don’t have a ring right now, but will you take this in it’s place and marry me?” I was in shock and looked at him and said, “Are you being serious? Yes, of course I will.” It’s a memory I will never forget.