How We Met

Zach and I met in downtown Dallas in the summer of 2014. He grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, while I had grown up in upstate New York. Zach attend Stephen F. Austin University in Nacadoches, TX and I ended up swimming for Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Our paths crossed at the restaurant, Old Monk, in Dallas.

I was walking into Old Monk when I heard Zach pull up on his 2014 Yamaha Bolt. My head turned and I thought, “Wow, that’s a handsome man and nice-looking bike.” So I went over to Zach, introduced myself, and asked how long he had been riding. I told him that I was thinking of getting a motorcycle in the near future. He invited me into the restaurant to talk some more. I was immediately attracted to this man. He rode a motorcycle, was extremely polite and handsome, and exuded an aura of kindness that made me want to know more about him. We ended up talking at the restaurant for two hours that evening. He asked me if I’d like a ride on the back of his motorcycle. I told him absolutely. We rode through downtown Dallas and on the white bridge over the Trinity River. Afterwards, Zach told me that he’d like to see me again. I gave him my number and told him to call me. He didn’t disappoint. We have been inseparable ever since.

how they asked

On November 20th, 2015, my mom, brother and sister surprised me and drove me to DFW airport. I had no idea why we were there. Suddenly Zach popped out of nowhere and told me that he and I were going to California for a fun weekend getaway. My family was in on the surprise and wished us a happy weekend. Surprising me for a weekend is completely in Zach’s character, so I had no idea that he was going to ask me that weekend to marry him.

We arrived in San Diego at 3 PM on Friday. He had a complete itinerary of things for us to do that weekend. And the sweetest part was that he planned the weekend around activities that I loved to do. The first day we checked into our hotel and went straight to a bookstore that is famous for Sci-fi and Fantasy books. He had my favorite book, A Wise Man’s Fear, signed by my favorite author, Patrick Rothfuss, waiting at the bookstore. From there, we went to the San Diego Art Museum. It was beautiful! We then went downtown and spent the rest of the day at the Farmer’s Market. The main street was closed for all the vendors and Zach surprised me with vibrant sunflowers he got from one of the vendors. We then went to the Hotel Del to explore because it is supposed to be haunted. We love haunted storied because of the thrill it gives us. When we got our thrill for the evening, we went back to our hotel to end the day.

The next morning, Zach and I woke up early and went for a 30 minute run along the bay. We spent the rest of the day exploring the city. At 4 PM, Zach told me that we needed to be cleaned up and ready to go to a show and dinner at the Hotel Del in a few hours. He looked so handsome when he picked me up from my room! We drove to the Hotel Del and Zach told me that we were early and had about an hour to kill. I offered that we walk along the beach while we wait. He jumped on the idea.

Little did I know that having us walking along the beach was his plan all along. After about 5 minutes of strolling along the water and enjoying looking out on the horizon, Zach took me in his arms and told me how much he loved me. He told me that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. He was starting to tear up and so was I.

He dropped to one knee, and asked if I would be marry him. Crying with joy, I told him YES!! I absolutely want to spend the rest of my life with him. We held each other in our arms for good while after wards while people on the beach cheered for us.

Zach had a wonderful photographer, Kristine, capture our unforgettable moment. This day will forever be in our hearts as Zach and I spend the rest of our lives together.