How We Met
Back in late October 2013, Ethan and I first met in Jacksonville, FL. We were both there with friends for the annual Georgia/Florida football game. Our friends made plans to meet out that night and tailgate before the game.
Tailgating starts early, so before we know it 3 loud guys show up at our hotel ready to start the day! Ethan, I noticed, was noticeably louder and more talkative than the night before. As we got to the parking lot, Elise and Alyssa still kept pushing for us to talk more and created every opportunity they could think of for us to be near each other. Next thing I know, we are paired next to each other for a game of corn hole. Between each round of tossing the bags, Ethan helped me pick up my bags and casually spoke to me more and more. By the time we were heading into the stadium, I could really feel some sort of connection between us. Ethan even tried to sit next to us instead of in his own seat! That night, my friends asked Ethan and his friend if they would come to our upcoming sorority formal, after checking his phone for his schedule, Ethan agreed to be my date.
It was soon time to head back to Carrollton, where we both lived. Somehow Ethan has gotten my phone number and started to text me on the way home. We (boy car vs girl car) started a bet that whoever made it back to Carrollton first, owed the other person dinner. Well, needless to say, the girl car drove pretty fast to beat the boys home!
That very next Wednesday, Ethan picked me up for our first date. Little did he know my sorority sisters were eagerly watching from the window. We stayed at the restaurant for hours just talking and getting to know each other. And the rest is history…
how they asked
Ethan and I planned a week long trip to California for our “adult spring break”. Neither of us had travelled to the West Coast and we had a lot on our bucket list. Before the trip, Ethan told me he wanted to make a GoPro video of everything we did on our trip and I agreed it would be nice to document it.
The week consisted of attending an award show in LA, riding bikes in Santa Monica, driving to Pacific Coast Highway, and even exploring San Francisco. It was truly an unforgettable trip, but we had one last big plan for a hot air ballon ride with our couple friends. As we checked the weather, it was looking more and more like our sunrise ride was not going to happen, but because it wasn’t cancelled yet we still had to get up at 3 AM and start the drive. About 4:30 AM, we got the call the ride was cancelled. Well, with the rain putting a damper on the day, we decide to return home for a power nap.
After waking up around 9 AM, Ethan is eager to start the day. He goes and wakes our friends up to try and find something to do, which is nearly impossible on a rainy day in LA. After a while, they tell me they decide on a beach where a portion of King Kong was filmed. After another hour long car ride, we find the beach, only for it to still be raining. The boys decide we should get some lunch and wait for the rain to clear.
While we were still eating, the rain clears and everyone is eager to head back to the beach. Now, this isn’t a regular beach, but a small, secluded Malibu beach full of beautiful rock formations. We walk down and start to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. As we come to the largest rock, I suggest taking a group picture. Everyone agrees, but they insist Ethan and I take one together first. After a few pictures, Ethan grabs my hands, faces me, and begins to recap our amazing journey together. Before I know it, he is down on one knee asking me to marry him…..I said YES!! Little did I know that was the reason he was making the video.
