It all began in Fayetteville, North Carolina where I met my close friend Rebecca. We lived and worked together, and when she got married, I had the honor of standing by her side. That night I met Daniel, her skater-boy brother from California. There was an instant spark as I poured him a drink and we exchanged a few words.

After the wedding, I sent him a message on Facebook, hoping to stay in touch. He politely declined, which I later learned was because he was in a relationship at the time. A couple of years later, the tables turned when Daniel messaged me. He was now living in Texas and I was still in North Carolina, but we began talking every day. Within a week, I discovered he was visiting family nearby, and I insisted he take me on a date. From that early-morning breakfast on, we both knew we had found something worth pursuing.

We spent the next few months in a long-distance rhythm of calls, texts, and movie nights over the phone. When Daniel told me he loved me for the first time, I knew it was something real. Not long after, he moved to North Carolina and we began our life together, living simply, traveling often, and dreaming about the future.

A fall trip to New York City changed everything. On our last day, we rode bikes through Brooklyn and ended in Dumbo. Standing along the water, looking out at the skyline, we knew it was where we wanted to build our next chapter. We soon moved to the city, found our footing, adopted a puppy to give our older pup a playmate, and filled our days with the kind of memories that make a home.

On June 8th, 2024, Daniel took me back to that same spot in Dumbo. He reminded me how we had promised to build a life together in this city and told me he wanted to make that promise forever. There, overlooking the same view where it all began, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

And so began our promise to forever.