How We Met
Mark and I met at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, my hometown, in early 2014. Mark was in his final year of law school and I was a senior in undergrad studying Journalism. A week after our initial meeting, we went on our first date at Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville and have been together ever since. After graduation, in the summer of 2014, Mark and I both moved to the Dallas-Fort Worth area from Fayetteville. Upon passing the Bar exam, Mark moved to Fort Worth while I stayed in Dallas. Through different apartments, jobs, and the addition of one Pomeranian, Mark and I only grew closer even though we lived 45 minutes apart.
We had an easier version of a long-distance relationship, where we spent every weekend together but still had our own things going during the week. Little did I know this would all be preparing me for an even bigger challenge. In the summer of 2017, Mark was accepted to New York University in Manhattan to obtain his MBA. I remained in Dallas and, although over 1000 miles separated us, our relationship continued to grow stronger. I had visited him in New York a couple times since his big move but it was my next trip that would be the most special.
how they asked
On February 1st, I had traveled to New York to celebrate Valentine’s Day and the four-year anniversary of our first date with Mark. After visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art on February 2nd, Mark told me that we were expected to meet friends at a nearby hotel for drinks. Upon arriving at the Kimberly Hotel and making our way to the completely empty rooftop restaurant, Mark led me to the terrace where a ring of white rose petals and a photographer (Mark’s friend, Michelle) awaited.
With the cold, February sky and the unique collection of Manhattan buildings as our backdrop, Mark popped the question. After I said yes, Mark took me to a room in the hotel decorated (by one of his friends from NYU, Nikki) with large vases of flowers and photographs of our best memories together over the last four years. Regrettably, we were too excited to have pictures taken of the room, but take my word for it – it was beautiful.
We had champagne to celebrate and I stared at my ring for probably an hour before calling and texting all of our family members to let them know the news. Looking back on it now, it was one of the most romantic and meaningful gifts Mark has ever given me, but of course, in the moment I could think of nothing else besides the fact that my best friend and biggest supporter since 2014 had just asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. It’s still amazing to me that our paths crossed and we’ve taken on so many challenges and changes together to make us better individuals but more importantly, a better team.
