Like all the cool couples these days, we met online — thank you, COVID! Travis was getting ready to move to Houston for a new job and, being the strategic guy he is, set his location to scope out a few neighborhoods. After some thorough research, he decided East End had the cutest girls (spoiler alert: he was right) and found an apartment there.

We started talking over a month before he even made it to town. Less than 12 hours after his plane touched down, we had our first date at Leeland House. The conversation was so easy and natural that it took us 45 minutes to realize you actually have to order at the bar — oops.

Five dates in two weeks later, we both knew this was something really special. We may have come from different backgrounds, but somewhere along the way, we ended up turning into the same person (in the best way). I truly can't imagine spending forever with anyone else.

Travis proposed in one of the most magical places — under the Tree of Life at Audubon Park in New Orleans. And to say I was surprised would be an understatement. For starters, we had literally just put an offer in on a house, and to top it off, I was battling a stubborn cold that just would not quit. That morning, Travis even had to run out and grab me some DayQuil just so I could make it through the day (thankfully he ignored my mom’s repeated suggestion to get me Midol instead — crisis averted).

As soon as we reached the park, something about the fresh air and those big beautiful trees made me feel a little more alive. That’s when Travis knew this was the moment. He almost reconsidered when our walk to the Tree of Life started zapping the last of my energy, but thankfully he stuck with the plan — and now we have the most beautiful photos and a video to remember it by.

In true rom-com fashion, he handed his phone to a complete stranger to capture the moment, and they absolutely crushed it. Everything came together better than I ever could’ve dreamed. We spent the rest of the day celebrating just the two of us, calling our favorite people, and soaking in the joy. It was simple, sweet, and so perfectly us.