How We Met
Barrett and I met at the gym, LA Fitness to be exact. He was the guy in the gym with the bun who jumped around a lot doing HIIT intervals between weights. I taught spin class and dabbled in the weights. One day he walked up and introduced himself. We started talking and I was taken back how interesting the guy with the bun was. I LOVE boats and fishing, and turned out he actually knows how to boat and fish (; He wasn’t from the area of the gym where we met. He was a beach guy, I was fully “townie” with hopes and ambitions of becoming a beach chick. While he was selling his house, he was living in his parents condo in town and going to LA. He asked me to go to lunch and paddle boarding one Saturday, and I accepted. I almost cancelled 5 times, but something in me made myself go, and I’m so glad I did!
how they asked
My boyfriend had been taking care of his mom who had leukemia for 3 months and she was living with him in his condo. He had asked me to do a date night with him the upcoming Friday and obviously I got excited! The entire week I was counting down to date night, so Friday evening I got to Barrett’s condo to get ready and his mom explained she was going out to eat with his brother and sister in law, I thought it was strange, but went along with it. I can’t forget to say how bad the weather was. It was a (chilly) night, but the rain was falling side ways. I just did my hair before work that morning so was flustered, but that’s what rain jackets are for, right?! So I put it on and we were on our way to dinner.
We drove into a small part of the city where there were supposed to be Christmas lights lit, but due to the weather, they didn’t have any lights on! Thankfully in the center of the city there was a huge Christmas tree and the lights were on there, so he pulled up to the round about and stopped the truck. He said “I’m going to need you to get out of the truck!” I go “but it’s raining!” He said, “you know I want to spend the rest of my life with you right? That’s why I brought you down here tonight in this horrible weather!” I got out of the truck and he came around and grabbed my hand, walked me over to the tree and asked me to marry him! Right there, in the rain, while we backed up the street for at least a mile! We got back in the truck and had the best moments together, it was honestly nothing how he wanted it, and nothing how I would have ever envisioned it, but it was perfect!
We then went into a chic hotel that’s on the ocean and also right next to the Christmas tree in Atlantic Beach and had a drink, I was shaking and crying and laughing and couldn’t help staring at my beautiful new ring! We then walked next door to a little Italian restaurant where our entire families waited to surprise me! Later, he explained he was planning on taking me on the boat to our favorite restaurant and having our families meet us there, but poor thing the weather was too bad. It went all wrong and so right! We are planning our wedding to September, 2018! He went to Harby Jewelers here in Jacksonville, FL
