Like most new couples now a days, we meet on Facebook. We where in a mutual group together, I can not tell you who friend requested who but somehow we ended up friends. For a few months Ray liked my photos here and there, and as he would explain it I was supposed to like his back if I was interested. (no one told me that rule). After a while he messaged me and of course I replied but it was very short so he got the impression it was not a good time. (I'm sure I was running late that day, but what's new) So he did not respond, the next day I got another "good morning" message and of course I responded again but this time in more words then just "morning", after that it was constant messaging, finally we got to a point where we wanted to talk on the phone so that night we set a time to call. We talked for hours, and every day since. We made a plan to meet in person a few weeks later, time went so slow. He finally came to meet me (we live 3 hours apart) we decided to go hang out with my best friend and her husband so that I would feel more comfortable meeting a stranger for the first time. (I watch way to many murder documentaries). We had so much fun and just connected like we had know each other for years, a few days later we decided to give it a shot, we both knew the distance would be hard but what's the harm in trying, when you have that kind of connection with someone you jump in heart first. It did not take long for us both to know we had something special, something that is hard to find, and something worth fighting for. I am not sure when it happened but all of a sudden my walls where down and I was crazy in love. I'm a hard egg to crack and he did it with ease. We where made for each other. He is the calm to my crazy, and I bring the crazy to his calm. and the rest is history, we have been each others shoulder to cry on, smile at the end of the day, and biggest supporter ever since.

Where to begin, well first off the people involved did a great job at keeping it from me, I was so surprised and shocked. So it was a few days before Christmas and the plan was to go to Falls Park to see the Christmas lights and get some pictures, we invited my best friend and her family so that we had someone to take the pictures and we could offer to take some family pictures for them as well. (or so I thought) On the drive there they where making comments and joking about things I did not understand but also just ignored because I don't get a lot of what is being said lol. (after i did understand, it was all code) It was cold and starting to rain off and on when we got there but we where willing to push through for the experience, everyone had shown up except for my oldest daughter and her boyfriend so we had to wait, mind you the later it got the colder and more rain, after she was 30 min late I was starting to get irritated but everyone was calm and saying it would be ok she will be here soon. Now we are coming up on an hour late, a whole hour...... (she knew about the proposal). I make the comment "lets just go" but she was pulling into the parking lot at that moment. Finally after being annoyed and almost calling it a night we all meet up, a bit frustrated and cold I'm ready to just do this and get the pictures. We start walking around and trying to find good places to take pictures but it was so busy as we would start to take pictures a line would form for other groups to take pictures in that spot so we where rushed in every location. It was time to call it quits and I seen a cute spot that no one else was at in between two trees covered in lights so I thought we could at least get a few good ones there, at this point its actual raining, so I tell the kids hurry up and we start taking the pictures, then Ray says "just you" I was a bit confused but though maybe he just wants a few shots of just me, so I start to walk to the spot and as I turn around to face the camera him and all my kids are down on one knee (how he got them all to coordinate and excite this plan is beyond me) He handed me a wrapped box, everyone was saying :open it" not sure why but I said "no" and then with shaking hands (both from being cold and overwhelmed in a good way) I opened the gift and inside there was a ring, he said " I was kind of wondering if you would be my wife?.. this speech went way better in y head." Of course I said "YES!" The kids where so excited and yelling and hugging each other, Ray was so overwhelmed with happiness he for got to put the ring on me, he just jumped up to kiss me. Even with my daughter being late and the cold and rain it was the most perfect proposal, I could not have asked for anything more. My kids being involved like that meant more to me then anything in this world.