MARCO: It was the fall of 2019, the beginning of October to be exact. I was about 3 months from my 8th year since I moved from Florida to Oregon in January of 2012. I was single at the time and decided to put myself “out there” via social media. I decided to use the new and free “Dating” feature on Facebook. I went about making up a profile that I thought would impress. I got to the business of looking through the profiles that were presented to me and started swiping away. It didn’t take too long until Tara’s profile came up for me as a match. I was very intrigued with all her photos of herself with mountainous landscapes in the background and wine tasting amongst other pictures. We messaged for a couple of days and then moved to texting. I finally decided to ask her out on a date since we seemed to have a lot in common.

I picked a restaurant primarily known for seafood, which I would find out later that she didn’t like seafood. We ended up ordering shredded chicken tacos and beer on our first date at the seafood restaurant. We started talking about Halloween, which was coming up in a few days. I seized the opportunity to ask her if she would like to go out again, but this time to a haunted house. The second date for dinner and a haunted house went well and we continued setting up dates from there on out.

Then the pandemic hit in March of 2020, and we became inseparable out of necessity.

We spent our quarantine time really getting to know each other better. We spent time together cooking meals, streaming movies and shows, playing video games, hiking, and camping. In the summer I was introduced to Tara’s family and took part in annual family traditions like camping at Wickiup and Detroit Lake. Tara didn’t get to formally meet my parents until we took a trip to Florida in May of 2021 once pandemic restrictions began to ease. After our first trip to Florida together, we decided to take the big step of moving in together. We both agreed that we were tired of apartment living and decided on renting a house.

For the next couple of years, we spent a lot of time making memories with family and friends. In June of

2023, we took a camping trip to Eastern Oregon. While we were camping, I posed the question of getting married. Tara was receptive to the idea, so I began plotting how I would eventually propose. The ultimate opportunity presented itself when we booked our first overseas trip together to Spain and Morocco. I went about the important task of getting an engagement ring that I thought Tara would like, but that was the easy part. I settled on proposing to Tara on the trip in a foreign land!

TARA: In October 2023, we went on our trip to Spain and Morocco. Although we had talked about the idea of getting married at some point, for some reason I didn’t think this trip was when the proposal would happen. But it did, which made the surprise all the more magical. Marco had talked to both of our parents and then managed to secretly (and carefully) pack a sparkly ring across the globe. We spent a few whirlwind days in the hustle and bustle of Madrid and Valencia, Spain, before hoping over to Tangier, Morocco. I would only later learn that the look of unease on Marco’s face as we arrived at the small Tangier airport was not only due to culture shock, but also to not knowing if taking the ring through Moroccan immigration and customs was going to go smoothly, or if it would reveal the surprise. He made it through without a problem.

Our first evening in Tangier was cooler and rainy, but the next morning the sun had come out. We enjoyed our first Moroccan breakfast at our hotel, then got ready to go out and explore. Marco put on his jacket and I did as well, only to realize that it had warmed up significantly outside. Marco mentioned he wanted to check out the port area by the waterfront, so I followed him through the winding streets of the medina and he eventually stopped at a plaza overlook with views out to the port, the Strait of Gibraltar, and even Spain in the distance.

I was busy snapping a few pictures before Marco caught my attention and I realized something important was happening. It was one day before our 4-year dating

anniversary, so he talked about us, our 4 years together, the adventures we had been on and were currently on before getting down on one knee and asking me to marry him. I was truly surprised, but of course said yes and we enjoyed our special moment together in one of the few places on our trip that we had (almost) to ourselves.

Now that Marco didn’t need the pocket of his coat to hide the ring, we were able to drop the coats off at our room, enjoy the sunshine and celebrate by spending the day exploring Tangier. We video chatted our parents back home that night (their morning) to share the exciting news and the surprise Marco had successfully pulled off.