How We Met
John and I met on our first day of orientation at Universal Studios. We both applied to work in different areas of Universal, John at Attractions and I, of course, applied for Margaritaville merchandise. We both accepted jobs in Diagonal Alley (Harry Potter) instead. On the first day of orientation, we both had to wear our costumes for work. My costume was a navy satin shirt, with a purple vest, and black pants. John came in the same navy blue shirt. I sat down at his table because I thought he was cute, and the instructor commented that some people were wearing the wrong shirt. He asked and they said he was accidentally wearing the navy shirt instead of the gray shirt he was supposed to wear. Our instructor said they would take John during lunch to get the right costume, and I couldn’t help myself by commenting that I thought the blue matched his eyes really well. Which, if you know me, you know I am NEVER that bold. We continued to chat the rest of the day about Harry Potter because “neither of us is that big of Harry Potter fans”, which I learned John actually is a big fan of Harry Potter hah.
I was working part-time and he was working full time, so our paths didn’t cross too often but we would always say hi when we passed each other. I tried to look at our schedules to find his first and last name to find him on Facebook or Instagram but I couldn’t find any of John Crowley’s profiles! (All of you NY friends already know why). I would be super flirtatious and throw ice at him when we worked at London Cart, which once again I am never that bold.
One day he was off earlier than I was, he said he would stop and try a Butter Beer before he left since he had never had one. After he got it, he came and hung out with me at the London Cart since I was by myself. He stood and talked with me for THREE HOURS. We talked all about life and our lives and at the end of the night, he said goodbye and walked away. WITHOUT. ASKING. FOR. MY. NUMBER. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t make the first move because I had no way to find him. That night he messaged me on Facebook under the name JC Crowley (which is why I couldn’t find him…) and we spent the whole night talking.
He asked me on a date and in a true nervous fashion, I asked to make it a double date with my roommate hah. He agreed anyway because he’s a trooper. It was perfect. At the end of the date, he came back to our apartment to watch a movie and our first kiss sealed the deal. It was like nothing else. It seemed too good to be true! I did end up friend-zoning him because it just seemed too good, and he said to me “that’s okay, I know you’ll end up with me”. He was so confident and it was like a moth to a flame, I couldn’t get enough. Even though I had friend-zoned him, he continued to hang out with me, just as friends, until I wanted more. I texted him one day after seeing him at work that I made a mistake and I couldn’t be just friends, and the rest is history.
How They Asked
Our anniversary is on December 29th, and I had to work until 11 pm. It was our 3 year anniversary so we wanted to do something instead of cooking at home! John came up with the idea, since he gets paid biweekly that we should have dinner on January 10th instead, so we could plan to be off of work in time for dinner. He suggested Kona Café in the Polynesia Resort (because he loves their wings, they have sushi for me, and we had gone there for Valentine’s Day the year before) and told me to book a time on the MyDisney Experience App.
I booked 6:45 since that was good dinner time! When I got my work schedule, I was working until 7, so I gave my shift away from so I could be off for our date. My friend/trainer Nichole (who’s super sneaky) asked me to get my nails done that day because “she still had Christmas nails” and I fell for that trap. I also got my hair done, because it was time for that anyway and I was off! He texted me and said he would be home by 3, so to be ready by 3:45 so we could grab drinks at Trader Sams in the Poly; I thought it was super early but I figured we were trying to beat rush hour so I didn’t even think about it.
I was planning on wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, but he texted me saying he was wearing a button-down, so I changed into a skirt and tank top! We left super early (he was rushing me out the door) and when we pulled up to the resort he turned the opposite direction we usually park, which I questioned but he just brushed it off and I thought nothing of it. We started walking on the path towards the hotel, I was telling him some story from work, and cut me off and took me up a separate path. It was cleared out, and he started his speech. I couldn’t tell you what he said because I blacked out hahaha, but I looked up the hill and saw my best friend Kristina taking our photos and realized what was happening. He said how much he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!
I, of course, was shocked and said yes! My parents and my sister, Sarah, popped out of the bushes on one side and his best friend Sam popped out from the other side from her hiding spot, she had been taking videos! He said we weren’t going to the dinner we originally planned and said my parents rented a condo and his parents were already there making dinner. We pulled up to the house and he said that we were staying there for the weekend, opened the door and saw our families, and almost all of my college best friends, along with his cousins, and some friends from in town! He said everyone from out of town was staying there for the weekend with us, and Monday through Wednesday we were staying at the Grand Floridian (my favorite hotel), just the two of us. Best Surprise Ever!!
