Mason and I had our first date on August 16, 2015. At his suggestion, we met at a Starbucks for coffee but as soon as I arrived he informed me that this Starbucks actually closed in the next 15 minutes. We decided to take our date down the road to a Mexican restaurant for some fajitas and I joke with him to this day that he had the whole thing planned out. Either that, or this was his way of meeting a girl and if he wasn't interested he was safe because the coffee shop closed, and if he was interested he could take her to dinner. Very smooth, McMeans.

We sat at the restaurant and laughed and talked for hours and I was immediately taken by surprise by his genuine personality and uncommon old-fashioned manners and I knew he was a diamond in the rough. When he walked me out to my car to leave, I gave him a hug goodbye and then quickly gave him another hug because one wasn't enough. It's cheesy, but true.

He stayed in touch with me for the following week, consistently asking how my day was going and making plans for our next time to hang out. We had our second date the following weekend and our relationship took off from there. As the days and weeks went by, we quickly fell for one another and time seemed to fly by. He quickly introduced me to his warm, loving family and I felt welcomed from the start. He also met my family and friends and our lives soon included one another and we were rarely away from each other.

After a few months of dating, our conversations included our futures together and I realized that he was the man I would marry. After 7 months of dating, Mason proposed to me in the driveway of his house in the sweetest and most unassuming way and I was overcome with joy and emotion. Of course, in between the tears and laughter, I said "yes." We are so excited about our future together and we feel so blessed to have such amazing family and friends to support us as we grow together.