How We Met
I was in my second year of graduate school at the University of North Texas studying to become a Counseling Psychologist. I was diligently working on my research, taking classes, and in my spare time – working at the gym. I would go in every Friday evening for my shift, and started noticing the guy sitting behind the desk. He quickly became known as the “hot gym guy” between me and my friends, and I began to look forward to my Friday evenings. Then one day we spoke! He asked me if I had ever been told that I look like Mila Kunis (I had), and that was our first interaction. My being shy and introverted made our flirtations difficult, and our interactions were limited; eventually I came to believe that he was not interested. Two of my friends (who ended up being mutual friends) ran into him one day, and encouraged him to add me on Facebook. I received the friend request one evening during class, and for the next four days we talked non-stop. This was in Texas, in December, and weather is quite unpredictable. We had an ice storm, and everything was shut down. With school and work cancelled, finally we had a chance to hang out in person. We met in person for the first time at my best friend’s house, and he took me out on our first date. That was it…I was hooked. We spent the next 48 hours together, and haven’t stopped since. My “hot gym guy” became my “handsome man.”
how they asked
It was my Spring Break, and Ryan and I had been planning “fancy date night” for awhile. This wasn’t unusual, we go on fancy date nights as often as we can. I kept asking Ryan where we were going, and just told me he had found a new restaurant and wanted to surprise me. Not knowing exactly how to dress for the evening, I bought myself a new outfit and got my nails done. That evening when he got home, he told me my outfit was maybe “too” fancy for the night, and that I should change. FRUSTRATION. Eventually, I settled on something to wear, and we set out for our now less fancy date night (it turns out it was quite cold, and he knew I would want to wear something warmer, and something that I would feel comfortable taking pictures in and celebrating in for the night). He was texting on our way there (which is not unusual) and I thought nothing of it. We finally parked the car, and started walking toward Denton Square, and I started trying to guess which restaurant we might be going to. He briefly let go of my hand on a street corner to send a quick text (preparing an important piece of the night). As we crossed the street, we came to a stop in between the Denton Square and Jupiter House (my favorite coffee shop to hang out, work, and socialize). He grabbed me by the shoulders and said, “I lied to you, but please don’t be mad. We aren’t actually going to dinner.” At this point, my heart started beating very fast, and I felt myself getting nervous. Ryan then pointed across the street to Jupiter House, and I saw all of my closest friends gathered together holding balloons, they had come outside after receiving the text. At this point I new what was happening, and tears of joy starting streaming down my face. The man of my dreams then knelt to one knee and asked me to be his wife, it was the easiest question I had ever been asked! My friends cheered and raced across the street to meet us, and one by one they handed me the balloons. It was perfect. Then back to my best friend’s house (the place we hung out in person for the first time) for a catered dinner and hours and hours of celebration with all of my favorite people!
