11.25.20

Ryan and I met on a 6 am flight from Salt Lake City to Denver. (Super early!!) We were both heading to different places; Ryan was traveling to Wisconsin and I was heading to Georgia to visit family for Thanksgiving.

I was planning on sleeping on the plane because I had woken up so early, but then the cute boy sitting next to me asked, "Are you a college student?"

And that was how I met Ryan. He was really nice and I enjoyed talking to him on our plane ride. We had a funny conversation about what dating in college was like for both of us and learned that both of us had family in Texas. I had considered asking him for his number, but I thought I was never going to see him again because I was going to school in Idaho and he was at school in Utah.

11.27.20

I was enjoying Thanksgiving with family when I got a message from Ryan through Facebook Messenger. Ryan had told his brother, Andrew, about our meeting and Andrew told him that he should try and reach out to me. (I'm glad he did!)

We found out that we were both going to be in Texas at the same time after Christmas and Ryan asked if I was interested in do something in Texas together.

From that point, we would video chat almost everyday and really started to build a great friendship and we would talk about everything. I really liked how easy it was to talk to Ryan and always looked forward to our next conversation.

Long distance dating was always an adventure. We talked a lot on the phone and messaging one other. (Mostly sending gifs!!)

We would take turns traveling on the weekends to see each other and plan fun adventures.

Dating always can bring new experiences, some planned and others unexpected. (For example, taking Ryan to the ER one night when he got really sick)

We were able to freely talk about the future and I knew before too long that Ryan was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

Deciding

I don't think I have ever been or will ever be 100% sure about anything, but the decision to propose was one of the easier decision to make. I remember talking on the phone with my brother and him asking me questions like "Do you have any doubts or concerns?" It was then that I realized that I was more than ready to propose.

Buying the Ring

The next time Rachael and I went to Walmart, I made up my mind to buy a silicon ring to surprise her for the proposal. This just happened to be valentines day, Rachael's birthday weekend, and Presidents' Day. So with the stars aligned, a cheap silicon ring in my pocket, and an extra off of school, I was pretty pumped and ready to pop the question...

Deciding not to Propose

Yet, something felt wrong. My mind flashed years ahead imaging what it would be like. Would Rachael ever forgive me for proposing in a Walmart parking lot?

(Note: She's very forgiving so she would BUT...)

Would I be ok with this? The only other convenient options at the time were the car ride home and my apartment parking lot. Knowing Rachael (and after asking some semi-specific questions), I figured she would prefer something more planned and "cute." So I decided to wait.

03.05.21

The day before the proposal. I had it all planned. After my friends convinced me that proposing with fire might have some complications, we decided to order electric tea light to write marry me. It was going to happen the following day and supposed to be a big surprise. Rachael and I had bought Panda Express for lunch, and her fortune cookie said, "A LINGERING QUESTION WILL BE ANSWERED HAPPILY TOMORROW." I was petrified, but I had to keep it cool. Trying to not let a darn fortune cookie ruin the surprise, I respond, "Hmmmm what questions have you been having Rachael?" We had a good laugh about it.

03.06.21

Rachael's best friend and my best friend both had weddings. I picked up Rachael once she was done with her friend's wedding and told her we were "going on a drive." My friends were setting up the tea lights. I shared my phone's location with my friends so that they could see when I was coming up Provo Canyon to the designated spot. Unfortunately, they got carried away and did not see us on the GPS, until it was too late. We were just pulling in as my friends were sprinting into their car. Thankfully we weren't close enough for Rachael to recognize the group of friends pulling out, and we could just see the glow of the tea candles.

"Oh, look, Ryan that looks like a proposal," Rachael said. Act natural Ryan, I told myself and replied, "don't get any ideas missy." I freaked and drove off. Pretending like I had made a series of wrong turns, I pulled in to the same spot and suggested we take a look.

The rest was as follows:

"Look! Ryan! This is a proposal!"

.... Looks at me .... I look back and smile ...

"Wait?!? What?? " ... And then I got down on on knee and proposed.

We are excited to start our life together!! We are grateful for each other and plan to support one another's dreams and goals.

We will be living in Boise, Idaho where Ryan will start his Master's Program in Computer Science at Boise State University this Fall.

Rachael will continue to work on her Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration from BYU-I. She will be able to take the rest of her classes online.

We want to thank everyone for the love and support that we have received through our dating and engagement! We look forward to seeing everyone at the wedding soon!