How we met: I remember walking into statistics class and thinking “this is going to be the worst” because of my ever growing dislike for mathematics. I sat down (in the back row) and scanned the room. In front of me, a little to my right, was a boy who’s red hair immediately captured my attention. Statistics class went on and each day I would pack my bag slower and slower in hopes of this red-haired boy stopping to talk to me after class but that plan, unfortunately, never worked. Then, about halfway through the semester I went to a concert where his band happened to be playing and I distinctly remember looking over to my best friend and saying “that’s the boy from my stats class I have been
telling you about!”
His angelic voice soon filled the air and it was no longer just his hair that captured my attention…
So, I took it upon myself to tweet him, a complete stranger, and the tweet read as follows: “Who knew the quiet kid in my math class had such mad talent.” and tagged him in the post. Later that night he replied to the tweet thanking me and the next day in class FINALLY introduced himself.
As the saying goes the rest is history! He eventually asked me on a date to a small, hometown carnival where we spent more time talking than actually paying attention to any of the attractions that surrounded us. The first date was wonderful and I wondered how the other dates would go and what all of our funny and romantics dates would lead to. I had no idea that the red haired boy, who was once a stranger in my math class, would soon ask me to be his girlfriend and I certainly had no idea I would fall madly, head-over-heels in love with him as the days went on…
Side-note: we went to breakfast one morning at a diner and he secretly bought me a 25 cent gum-ball ring and later popped it open and asked me to be his “forever girlfriend” which will make sense later…
how they asked: It was thanksgiving weekend and I was home from nursing school in Georgia. My roommate from Long Island had come home with me to share thanksgiving with my large, southern family so when Cody asked if he could have some alone time with me and take me to dinner I didn’t think anything of it. So, on the night of November 28th we drove to a nice restaurant in the quiet and quaint town of Mt. Dora, Florida. Dinner was lovely and after it was over we walked to his car, he opened my door, and began driving back the same way in which we had come so in my mind I thought he was driving me back home.
To my surprise, Cody pulled up to a small park where an old and dark dock lead out onto a lake. We walked out to the end of the dock and Cody asked “Do you trust me?” without hesitation I answered yes and then he asked me to turn around. After I turned around I was blind folded and lead back to the car. Silly me still had no idea or inkling as to what was going on because it was not out of the ordinary for Cody to surprise me (he was always doing out of the blue nice things). We drove for what seemed like forever until I felt the car hit a dirt road and come to a stop. Cody lead me out of the car and into somewhere warm (I was still blindfolded and confused) and then let go of my hands and told me to stay put. Then out of nowhere came a song and a sweet, familiar voice (once again) filled the air.
He walked over to me and took off my blindfold and my jaw immediately dropped to the floor… I was standing in my own little fairy-tail. We were in a small wooden barn that was filled with all of my favorite things: white lights, candles, sunflowers, burlap, and the man of my dreams. Once I picked my jaw up off the floor he asked me to dance and we spun around as I tried to absorbed every perfect detail that was around me.
The song played on and I soon realized it was Cody singing the song, a song he had wrote just for me, a song titled “I Do.” The song ended and Cody went on to say “So I’ve been thinking about maybe making my forever girlfriend (remember the diner ring?) my forever wife” he then dropped to one knee and asked me to embark on one of life’s greatest adventures and I couldn’t say yes fast enough!
The story gets better… After giving him a big hug and admiring my ring he shouted “hey guys, she said YES!” and as the barn door rose up I turned around to see all of our family and friends walking eagerly into the barn (I cried like a baby at that point).
We all laughed and hugged and enjoyed hot cider/coffee at the “coffee bar” that was set up in the barn as I retold over and over the story of my unreal, unexpected, and out of this world engagement to the read headed boy who once sat in front of me in statistics.
video + pictures by tyler herman