As Jess always tells people, "When you're a lesbian, there are two ways to meet people who you want to date. You either apply online or you get referred by a friend." Thanks to Bumble and the online dating world, you're all here reading this today and gearing up to celebrate with us in December!

Really though, that's about the gist of our story! We met online, hit it off, and the rest is history!

We could type out pages after pages of stories and experiences together, but our engagement story really does take the cake. In December of 2023, Jess and I (Rebecca :) ) planned a trip to New York City. It was her first time visiting the city, and it was my first time to visit during the holiday season. Since I'm a planner, I had planned our our ENTIRE week. I'm talking dinner reservations, show tickets, lists of must-see places in the city, and everything in between. I even had a shared Google Doc with a schedule for each day of the trip. I had left Friday open (our last full day of the trip) for what I told Jess would be "last minute items." I framed it as a time to stop by any stores we were still wanting to go to, check out areas of the city we hadn't gotten to explore yet, and other little tasks to round out the week. Secretly, I had kept Friday free of plans hoping that she would propose to me that day, then we could frolic around the city while we felt giddy and drunk in love. Turns out that sneaky little rascal knows me better than I thought! She knows I'm a planner, so she knew that I was expecting a "surprise" (*wink wink*) Friday proposal. So we went through our Thursday plans, got ready for dinner, then she suggested we go hang out on the rooftop bar at our hotel. The bar was closed for the winter, but the space remained open, the weather was nice for December, and the rooftop had an awesome view of the Empire State Building! Right before we walk out of our hotel room, Jess pulls a beautiful photo album out of her suitcase where she had thoughtfully designed a scrapbook-style album using every little note that I had ever left for her during the time that we had been dating. Cue the waterworks! We went up to the rooftop bar where we had the whole place to ourselves, Jess got down on one knee, and I said YES! She even organized for one of the hotel managers to be hidden up on the roof and take photos while she popped the question! It was such a magical moment and truly something you hear about in a RomCom!

We both truly feel like we've been growing into the best versions of ourselves since we've met each other, and we can't wait to see where our journey takes us together next. We have a beautiful family and are truly living in a reality that both of us only dreamed would be possible. Cheers to turning the page into the next chapter of our story!