We technically went to high-school together, but Jason was a senior when I was in eighth grade. He was one of the "popular" guys - the self proclaimed  "Great One" (I'm not kidding, and I'm sure no one who knows him now is really surprised by that), so I knew who he was.

He played the drums and at that point I was in the band (I played the flute- save the "one time at band camp" jokes!) and I have a couple specific memories of him then. Nothing noteworthy but I definitely remember him from that time.

There's one interaction I remember very clearly and I get a big kick out of it given where are now. As I mentioned, he played the drums and was in the pit for the spring musical in which I had a part. During a break one time, I was sitting at a table taking to a guy two years older than me who I had an enormous crush on, when Jason walks over and sits down next to the other guy. He looks at me and says to the other guy "Who's she - she's gonna be hot when she gets older". I remember thinking two things-

1. Umm, I am RIGHT here, I can hear you!

and

2. Well a popular senior just told a guy I like I'm gonna be hot, so that's cool....

Jason's response to this story now is "Well, I wasn't wrong!"

Fifteen or so years went by and then randomly one day we started talking on Facebook - once upon a time Jason actually USED social media! After a week or so of chatting regularly and flirtatiously, I asked if he was going to take me out or were we just going to be pen pals. So I guess I asked him out first.

After I basically asked him out, we settled on a day (Saturday,  April 26, 2014) and in his typical endlessly romantic fashion, he asked what I wanted to do. It was playoff hockey season and the Pens were playing the Blues so I suggested we go somewhere for a beer and to watch the game and we decided on QuakerSteak.

He had asked if I minded if his friend and his friends wife joined us. Some people would see inviting a friend on a date as a bad thing but I don't remember really thinking much of it - we were going to a bar to watch a game, the more the merrier. Plus I figured it would help make any potentially awkward silences less awkward.

When picked me up (and he was on time, score one point for Jason) he got out and opened my door- that left me a little surprised - pleasantly of course!

The first verbal, in person interaction we had went like this:

Niky - We're going out to watch playoff hockey, where is your Pens gear?!

Jason- Affliction doesn't make Pens gear

Niky - Wow, you're really THAT big of a dbag, huh?

When we arrived at the restaurant we were in the lobby waiting for his friend and were looking at the menu and Jason said something about wanting wings but not wanting to make a mess. I looked him dead in the eye and said "We are at a wing place - I'm gonna eat wings, have sauce up to my ears and not give a single f**k about it".

Clearly, we were 100% ourselves from the very beginning.

We spent much of the night exchanging verbal jabs - pretty sure he said "If you were a dude I'd fist fight you" at least once that night, a line he still uses often!

From the end of 2018 through ALL of 2019, Jason kept saying "it" would happen this year (as in we'd get engaged in 2019). So NATURALLY as the days went by, I started getting more and more impatient. I knew it wouldn't be on a holiday or any time I might "expect", so when the holiday season rolled around and it hadn't happened, I sincerely believed it wasn't happening that year.

So on December 30th, we were planning to have a small New Year's get together at our house the following evening. One couple was planning to spend the night (dont drink and drive!) so I wanted to wash the bedding in the spare room, along with a whole other list of things we needed to do. I was in bear print fuzzy pj pants and a green Glens Gang t-shirt (RIP Glen!) taking the sheets off of the bed when Jason came upstairs and put the baby gate in the doorway. I asked why he did that and he said he wanted to keep the dog out - Roman likes to jump on and lay in the middle of any bed I'm attempting to make so I figured he thought I was making it and trying to be helpful. I explained I was taking stuff OFF the bed, not putting it on. He responded "Yeah, but I need to do something".

My first thought was "really, we have so much to do, what could you possibly need to do in HERE". I turned around (honestly, probably to glare at or roll my eyes at him) and noticed he looked VERY serious. He said "Have I ever once told you I would do something and let you down?".

Full disclosure- I was being a bit for a brat for several weeks prior to this because he HASN'T ever told me he'd do something and not followed through and I thought this was gonna be the one time he let me down. Little did I know he'd custom designed a ring that was supposed to have come in weeks earlier and took verbal beatings knowing I'd be eating crow.

At that point I noticed he had a box in his hand and tears in his eyes (he'll deny it) and I realized what was going on. I said something like "holy sh!t, this is happening".

He got down on a knee (this was the reason for the gate, Roman would have been right in his face otherwise) and asked me to marry him.

The next several minutes are totally a haze. I know I hugged him which caused Roman to meltdown - no lovings without him! He had to remind me there was a ring I probably wanted to see which took an eternity to open with my shaking hands. It was in a box, tied with a bow, inside a ring box.

I'm still not sure I ever said yes, but it was implied.