Samuel and I first met the spring of 2019 at Sonic Drive In on 37th. I remember coming into work with my sister, Samantha, and wondering who that tall guy in a red shirt was as he took boards. We were introduced and my honest first impression was that he was a reliable coworker despite his jokes. Fast forward a couple of months and we had become friends and enjoyed working together.

One particular night, I was stuck making ice cream and I was allowed to pick one coworker to help me with fountain/ice cream for the upcoming 8pm rush. Naturally, I asked Samuel, the one person I knew I could count on. For the next two hours, we had a blast making ice cream, throwing drinks, and missing out on money in order to get orders out on time. Around 10pm, I had to take my sister home (we lived 2 minutes away) before coming back to close for the night. As I took her home, I made a comment on how surprised I was that I was having such much fun tonight. I hated the nights I worked ice cream because I lost out on major tips for the shift. My sister slammed her hands on the dash and said "No dip Joey, ya think ya like Samuel?" Samantha's words hit me like a train and I realized that I had developed feelings for him. When I came back to work, I spent the rest of the night thinking and replaying everything in my head.

After discovering my newfound feelings, I spent my time trying to see if he was into me too. After a few shifts and a broken door later, we started talking which led to me asking him out on a date. Our first date was ice cream at Baskin Robbins and playing Magic: The Gathering at my house. At the end of our date, thanks to my dad, we were officially together and I felt very giddy.

One of the first moments I have where I thought "this is the one I want to marry" was when I had left for college, he had remembered little details of past conversations and acted on it. Like buying me a stuffed kangaroo or like choosing to spend time with me over a friend who came down to see him when our trips overlapped, etc,. All the little things were never done for me in my past relationships so I figured it would be him if I married anyone.

The proposal happened on Christmas of 2024 at our brand new home. When Samuel proposed to me, I was shocked, happy, and just so excited that I literally can't remember all that he said to me while he proposed. The idea of spending forever with Samuel has been on my mind for years and I was over the moon for it to be finally official.