How we met: Daniel and I met on the first day of our Freshman year of high school and started dating halfway through our Sophomore year. We didn’t really get along at first (he was a class clown and I was admittedly pretty stuck up), but during Sophomore year we both grew up a little bit and our circles of friends started hanging out a lot. Neither one of us knew that the other had developed a crush, but he asked me to winter formal anyways and that’s where it all began.
how they asked: I’ve never been a fan of being the center of attention (I’m a major introvert). I never wanted a public proposal. Daniel knew that and planned a perfect private proposal. During college, we would frequently go on little day trips to places like San Francisco or Santa Cruz. On December 20th, 2012, we both had a morning off, so we decided to go for a drive up into the mountains. We got to Ironstone Vineyards pretty early so the cafe and little museum were still closed, but Daniel asked if I wanted to walk around the property. So, we went outside and started to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The only problem was: I was FREEZING! I kept asking if we could go back inside the lobby and sit by the fireplace until the cafe opened and I could get some hot cocoa. Daniel kept urging me to go a little farther, and when we reached a windmill, he stopped. He seemed to really like that spot, so I took a couple pictures of us in front of the windmill. It was a gorgeous sunny morning (aside from the cold), and I turned to look at the geese that were making some noise by the little pond nearby. When I turned back, Daniel was on one knee. I didn’t believe him at first and I literally told him to stand up, but he started telling me how much he loved me. I’m sure he had rehearsed what he was going to say and probably said it all perfectly, but I barely heard a word of it because I was so shocked! When he pulled the ring out of his pocket, I knew at that moment that he was dead serious. I, of course, said YES and we spent the rest of the day driving around the mountains making memories I’ll never forget. A few months later, Daniel joined the US Navy. We had a small wedding ceremony when he was home for Thanksgiving on leave in 2013. We’ve been married just over a year now, and are currently planning our formal wedding celebration for next year.