It took a little nudge from a mutual friend and a long pep talk to build my courage, and I finally asked this girl out on a date.

She said no, lol.

So, our story began in a slightly less-than-love-at-first-sight romance novel kind of way.

It all started at the Gloucester Chick-fil-A in November of 2021. Like the average 16-year-old, I tried to do everything to stay unnoticed; I was a bit of a shy guy who kept conversations short and couldn't mutter more than a hello. Hannah was quite the opposite.

A match made in heaven.

Throughout the following year things got a bit more comfortable as we started chatting more about our lives and the things we liked and we quickly found things in common: church lives, music, hobbies, humor, etc. etc. I got attached pretty quick and after a few months I got that confidence to ask Hannah out. She turned me down (with good reason, of course). She explained that, since she hadn't known me long, she was worried I was a bit immature...well, as an immature man, I just had to prove her wrong. I don't think I changed anything, but I must have done something right because I got that date shortly after this went down.

On September 6th, 2022, we went out on our 2nd date for my birthday; we got dinner and walked along the beach in Yorktown, talking about anything and everything, no specifics, fill in the blank, and we probably brought it up. It was one of the best days I've ever had, topped only by our next date on September 17th. We went to the same spot and sat on the beach where Hannah asked me to be her boyfriend (obviously, I said yes)

Now, if I explained every little thing that made me fall for this girl, this page would be miles long, so I'll share one of my favorite things that sealed the deal. It is a little silly, but bear with me. Everyone knows the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and Hannah figured this out quickly. She now has a habit of baking my favorite cake from scratch to celebrate even the smallest achievements; not her favorite or our favorite, but mine. :)

2024 came and went with so many crazy memories. Through all the ups and downs, good times and bad, and even the mundane days sitting at home doing nothing, Hannah never failed to make every situation better. My girl is one in a billion. Things didn't exactly go as I had planned for us, though. I wanted to propose on our 2nd anniversary, but money was running low, and I was out of a job at the time, so I had to make the painful decision and put it off a little while longer. The anniversary came and went, and as the year was drawing to a close, I couldn't stop acknowledging the unknown ahead of us. However, there was one thing of which I was certain, and I just couldn't go into the new year without making it known. At this point, I was making some money, so I drained my savings and searched for the perfect ring. It had to have been God working because everything lined up perfectly. I found the ring, got a photographer to capture our moment, managed to get a day off work, and the weather was beautiful. The plan was set in motion; On December 17th of 2024, I took Hannah to the same spot where we first started our relationship. I got on my knee, presented that ring...and forgot everything I wanted to say. She was crying before the box was opened, though, so I like to believe she got the idea. I gathered my courage and asked for her hand in marriage...

She said yes.