How We Met

We met in the Fall of 2021 working together at the State Attorney's Office in Saint Lucie County. There were a few of us newly hired, and we all quickly became close friends. There were game nights, trivia, and of course a lot of boat days. We became very close friends and continued our friendship for the next year before we decided to give our relationship a shot in the fall of 2022. That next year and a half was filled with numerous adventures. We traveled to Miami, Savannah, and Ashville to name a few. We also canoed on the good ole' Opulence any chance we had! Together we enjoyed time with family and friends; welcoming nephews and celebrating Holidays. We were surrounded by love and support and quickly our two lives were becoming one.

The Proposal

Connie's Account

It was February 3, 2024 and I woke up early to head to the Office because I was responsible for weekend First Appearances. Usually waking up early for work isn't my favorite way to start the weekend, but I had something to look forward to. The past few months had been cold and rainy, so when Doug suggested canoeing on the first sunny day of the year I was excited! After work we had packed the cooler with a picnic and loaded the car up. The water was beautiful and the sun was out. As we headed over to our island we noticed a lot of police activity on the water. When we pulled up to the island it was deserted but for a few officers running around. I asked if it was okay to stay and they told us we could. There we sat having a picnic in the middle of a manhunt. There were officers and helicopters and boats scrambling all around us for the next few hours. I sat gleaming in the excitement, Doug not so much.... When the frenzy was over the two of us walked around the island that had become so dear to us. We went up to the abandoned wedding Chapel that we had found on one of our first canoe dates. We stood there on the alter when Doug got down on one knee. I was in shock and thrilled! That is when Doug asked me to marry him and I said "Of course!"

Doug is truly my bestfriend and I could not imagine my life without him!

Doug's Account

The plan was set several weeks in advance - to propose at the same spoil island in Fort Pierce that we had spent so much time at early in our dating relationship. As we arrived, it became apparent that there was some large manhunt operation, trying to find people hiding on the island. We pulled in and spent the next couple of hours viewing the spectacle - guys running around the jungle trying to find people, and a helicopter hovering about 15 yards above our heads. It was like every Vietnam movie I had ever seen. While Connie was fascinated by the event, I was terrified that they would take too long, and I wouldn't have the opportunity to go to the strange abandoned wedding chapel sat in the middle of the island. The plan was to do a little surprise engagement party with friends and family afterwards. The thought of arriving not engaged was weighing on my mind the entire time. Luckily, those fleeing whatever were caught, and the proposal was eventually made. And it was perfect. Even luckier was that I decided to abandon the original plan - to have two of our friends Maria and Kourtney hide out in the bushes the island to get pictures of the proposal.