how we met
If you had told either of us that we would meet our future spouse through an online dating website, I think we both would have laughed at you. :) This was definitely not the way that either of us envisioned the beginning of our love story. And yet…After signing up for an online dating subscription and giving it some time, both of our experiences ended up being more frustrating than hopeful. We had separately come to the conclusion that the online dating world was not for us and had planned on canceling our subscriptions once they expired. But then, this man named Dave saw my picture and sent me a message saying, “You have a stellar smile. I hope you have a good day.” It was a short and simple message, but it was like a breath of fresh air to me! He didn’t declare his undying love for me or try to propose to me right off the bat like so many other guys had tried to do (I am not kidding, this online dating thing is not for the faint of heart!). This man seemed straightforward and genuine in his communication, and I knew I wanted to respond. We ended up hitting it off, and after two (long!) years of living on opposite ends of the country, I was finally able to make the move to California and date him in person.
how they asked
After I (Kelly) moved to California, we dated for about a year before Dave proposed. Because most of our relationship had been long-distance, we wanted to take some time and enjoy dating in person. Dave told me that when I was ready, I was to “give him the nod” and then he would surprise me with the rest. I wrote him a letter to tell him how much I loved him and was ready to be his wife, and I asked him to come over so I could surprise him with it. He actually thought I was breaking up with him (oops!), so when I read him the letter, we were both pretty emotional! :) Unbeknownst to me, he called my parents that night to ask for their permission to marry me and then made plans to fly two of my sisters out to California to be there for the proposal. He also arranged for my best friend to be there, too! So he wasted no time! :)The day before he proposed, he picked up my sisters from the airport and brought them straight to my work. I heard the door open and there was Dave with both of my sisters in tow! I screamed and ran to give them all hugs. My sisters and I had talked about having a girls’ weekend at some point, so I thought that’s why they were there and just thought Dave had decided to surprise me with a girls’ weekend. Still completely clueless at this point.The next day we all headed to Dave’s family reunion at Huntington Lake, but when we got there, we were the first ones there, which seemed a little odd. I went to change into my swimsuit, and when I stepped out, Dave was there and he asked if I wanted to take a walk along the beach to have some alone time before everyone else arrived. I’m still completely clueless.He takes me to the shore of the lake and all of a sudden he turns to me and starts saying all of these amazing things, like how much he loves me and doesn’t want to do life without me. And then he gets down on one knee. This is just how completely clueless I was…EVEN WHEN HE WAS DOWN ON HIS KNEE, it still hadn’t clicked that he was proposing! I just thought he was being extra cute and sentimental! Haha! We hadn’t even gone ring shopping together, so I remember thinking “surely he’s not proposing right now, we haven’t even picked out a ring!” But then he pulls out this gorgeous ring. Everything finally clicked all at once and I freaked out! :) I said yes to him of course, and then out of the bushes came Dave’s kids and my sisters, all cheering! And then a few minutes later my best friend comes walking up; I hadn’t seen her in years, so that just made it extra special! It was definitely a memorable day full of celebrating!
