We met during the Army Direct Commission Course in Fort Sill, OK. One morning while standing in formation, we were glancing around and caught each other's gaze. Charlie's smile was like the sun. Having known no one coming into training, I knew I would enjoy my time there, whether it be mopping, sucking down cups of coffee or trying to stay awake in a 100 degree classroom. Without knowing it, I was drawn closer to him each day. He was my savior from heat stroke out in Texas. Our long talks during field training were incredibly influential to my faith. From then on, I knew Charlie was someone I could trust and care for me and I could not let him go :)

After our Basic Officer Leadership Course graduation, during which Charlie kept nudging me to wake up, we said goodbye to our friends. He asked me to be the maps person while he drove our friends to the airport. He had to go pick up his new car to drive to Louisiana afterwards and I asked to accompany him saying "I just like new cars." On our way there we stopped and Charlie hand fed me tacos. I watched him sign the lease to his new car and we drove over to the Pearl, a cute courtyard in San Antonio. We intended to meet up with some people but ended up talking the whole night while overlooking the river. We drove back to the hotel and drove to the airport the next morning. I wasn't sure if that would be the last time I saw him, thankfully it wasn't.

We decided to go for a beach picnic one Saturday morning, which was not unusual. We packed our food and blanket and drove up to Ka'ena point on the North shore. Walking onto the beach, we saw a beautiful setup of blankets, pillows, and champagne glasses scattered with rose petals. It was so picturesque. Marina didn't think the setup was for them until Charlie guided her over to his beautiful layout. She was so surprised and ecstatic when Charlie held her hands and knelt down to propose. Marina couldn't wait to say yes! We took pictures on the shore and in front of the mountain before settling down to have our picnic.