How We Met
My mom and I were both going through physical therapy treatment at the same office. She would go during the day and I would go during the evening.There was an aid working on me one day and we were talking about Ravens, and one thing lead to another she told me I need to meet the aid Kevin. She told me how good we would get a long (she was so right!) and how we had the love for Ravens in common. So, out of curiosity later that evening I looked up this guy Kevin on Facebook. My first thoughts were he’s so good looking! I then decided to message him and just be casual, tell him how I heard he was a big Ravens fan like myself and that I was a patient where he was working. He said he knew my mom and we just causally chatted. After chatting once or twice on Facebook a day later I got to meet Kevin in person (and in person I mean doing silly exercises that did not look to attractive!). After that night we chatted here and there online.
He eventually gave me his number since that would be easier to communicate as he was heading to a Ravens game. After texting often I asked him if he would want to hang out sometime as friends. He wasn’t very keen on the idea so we just kept our relationship casual by texting. I was excited to tell my mom about this guy but funny story after telling her about him she actually would see him all the time as she would go for physical therapy when he would be working. One day she overheard this cute little old lady asking him ” do you have a girlfriend” (this lady had a little crush on Kevin) Kevin responded with “no, I’m too busy with school for a girlfriend.” Later that day my mom reported back to me and told me this story. I just looked at her and said “yeah, we’ll see”. Kevin and I continued to text each other and I continued to ask him to do something but he just kept blowing me off and I was thinking its time to give up.
One Sunday I ran to SAMs club with my parents to do some shopping and he texted me!!! He asked me to meet for lunch. So as this story goes, I was not looking cute at all so I told him I can meet for lunch but I’ll be a little late as I needed to get home and change. To this day he likes to say I was late for our first date which is true but he knew I was going to be! Our first date was at El Toro Bravo, a Mexican restaurant in Annapolis. Before we went on this date I knew I had a wedding coming up where I could bring a date. My mom suggested I ask Kevin.
So on our first date I said “I know this may be odd and too soon but would you want to be my date to a wedding in a couple of weeks?” I was so excited he said yes! We went to the wedding a few weeks later and had an awesome time (picture above is our first picture together at my friends wedding) and that night we shared our first kiss. We had our second date the next day and went to see the cherry blossoms in DC. After hanging out for a little while Kevin asked me to be his girlfriend on May 3rd 2013. 3 years later we are engaged and he is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Kevin is the love of my life and my best friend.
how they asked
Kevin and I knew we wanted to get married to each other very early on in our relationship. We would talk and dream of our future together and what it looked like. Kevin’s birthday is at the end of March and when his birthday came around this year he told me for his birthday celebration dinner he wanted to go to Ava’s in St. Michael’s. We planned out that we would go the weekend after his birthday on Saturday. Friday’s for Kevin and I are usually ‘lets order take out and watch a movie’. Friday April 1st, I had just got home from work and Kevin met me there. He told me he had a surprise date planned for that night and that he got us tickets for a wine and chocolate pairing at the Inn at Perry cabin but we would eat at Ava’s first for his birthday dinner. I was so tired from the work week I just wanted to stay in. I started asking him some questions like “how did you find this event I didn’t see anything about it online?” It just so happens that the event was sold out.
As I was getting ready I started worrying about what to wear since the Inn at Perry Cabin was nice, I wanted to look nice. I couldn’t find anything I was looking for to put on. I was first looking for a pair of jeans which he said he would go look in the basement for me but I then knew they wouldn’t be there. I then asked for a purse and he told me that he would check his car he thinks he had some clothes of mine from the weekend before when we stayed at his house. After going to “check” he came back with both items. I was not at all suspicious to anything. We finally headed to Ava’s for dinner.
While we were waiting for our dinner we were scrolling through my phone looking at Facebook. Being that it was April fool’s day, there was a post of an April fool’s prank that came up on my news feed. It was an open and empty ring box that said APRIL FOOLS! I just looked over at Kevin and said “If you ever do that to me I would be so mad at you!” Halfway into dinner he seemed to be getting up a lot to use the bathroom, I was starting to think maybe he wasn’t feeling good. I was checking the time and knew the event started soon and did not want to be late so I started encouraging him to eat faster.
That is the slowest I have ever seen him eat! After finally finishing dinner we headed out to the Inn and Perry Cabin. We parked and walked up to the door where we were greeted. We told the guy that we were here for a wine and chocolate pairing event and he told us he could take us there. Kevin asked the guy for the bathroom and the guy said one way and Kevin said I think it’s that way (pointing in the opposite direction). I was still so clueless! Kevin than ran off to the bathroom just leaving me with this guy who then walked me back out front. He told me he would take me back to the event and I said “What about my boyfriend, will he find me?” The guy told me that he will show him where I am at.
He takes me along the side of the Inn at Perry cabin along this beautiful rock path way. Talking to me about the Inn and Perry Cabin giving me its history, telling me about the gardens and how the movie Wedding Crashers was filmed there (basically distracting me). I began to pull my phone out to text Kevin and ask him where he is! I was starting to feel like something was a little off but something also told me to put my phone away and just go with whatever is going on. We continued to walk along this path and once I got around the corner I saw all these gorgeous lights lined up perfectly in a path leading up to a beautiful tree with more lights hanging in the tree and Kevin.
He was standing under this beautiful tree on the water with over 150 candles lit around him. I walk up into this path that was created and said “what are you doing!” and his first words were “What’s up”.
As I walked closer to Kevin I saw on my right a photographer. I knew what was going on now!
I was finally where I needed to be to be standing with him. He held my hands, looked me in the eyes and told me how much he loves me. How he could never not wake up next to me and how he wants to spend the rest of his life with me.
He then got down on his knee and asked me to marry him and he had the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen in the ring box!
This was no April fool’s joke! I said YES of course and after saying yes all the people staying at the Inn enjoying their dinner applauded for us!
After the photographer took some more photos of our exciting moment I asked Kevin do my parents know?! He told me only my dad knows since he had asked him. Then a few people cheered and started running towards us and had no idea who it was since it was dark by then. Kevin told me it was his 3 friends Kyle, Randy and Dan. They greeted us and gave us a hug and then began to tell me why they were there.
I had no idea that Kevin set up all those beautiful vases with candles in them. Kevin was on spring break that week and on Friday (April fool’s day) he had told me he was going to the mall to a jewelry store to sell some family jewelry so he would have some money to put towards a ring that we have been talking about for months. Little did I know he actually woke up very early Friday morning and as soon as I left for work he pulled in the drive way. (No wonder my dad had asked me that morning what we were doing that weekend and if Kevin had a garage key).
Once he got to the house he actually had packed my bags and that is why I couldn’t find anything I was looking for when getting ready to leave for St. Michaels. After packing my bags he met his friends at Iron Rooster in Annapolis (I work in Annapolis not far from Iron Rooster) and he treated his friends to breakfast for them helping him set up this beautiful proposal.
Kevin and his friends actually spent all day at the Inn at Perry cabin picking the perfect spot to set up, setting up and talking to the workers so they could play along with the event that I was told was happening. After Kevin’s friends told me all these things Kevin told me we have to go check in because we were staying at the Inn all weekend! I was so overwhelmed, I couldn’t even process that we were staying at the gorgeous Inn (that I have always wanted to stay at!).
Shortly after we checked in and got to our room Kevin had so many more surprises for me and for us. We were having a couples massage the next morning, he had bought me a few things that he was going to give to me to wear like a white tank top and a cute hand bag (he thought of everything!) and shortly after that there was a knock at the door with a beautiful cake he had ordered for us!
I was extremely overwhelmed at this point! I was also very excited and just wanted to go home and share the news! We first then Facetimed with Kevin’s parents and told them the news and the funny story behind this is that it was April fool’s day so his parents did not believe us! We then called my parents and told them too, but my dad already knew. (Side Story) Back in March we went to a St. Patrick’s Day party at my parent’s church with Kevin’s parents, my parents and some friends. As the night was coming to an end my mom and I went up to dance one more time leaving Kevin and my dad at the dinner table since my dad had a hurt foot. My mom and I are dancing and we watch Kevin and my dad talking at the table.
I asked her what you think they are talking about. She jokingly said “Can I marry your daughter?” I just shook my head and we both laughed. Ironically that was the very moment that Kevin asked my dad! So my dad knew but my mom did not! She did not believe us either she thought it was an April fool’s day prank. It took till my dad started getting teary eyed for her to believe us. We got settled in our room and then took a walk around the Inn and started making phone calls to our friends. We spent the rest of the weakened relaxing and the Inn and sharing the news with family and friends. It was a night we will never forget and every time we visit the Inn and St. Michaels now it will always be special.
