It had been a long day at work and the last place I wanted to be was happy hour at Sunset Cove. The only F.R.I.E.N.D.S. I had any interest in seeing that night were Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey. Reluctantly, I agreed to meet up with some old friends and even meet some new ones... Jake. That first evening of drinks, dancing and sing-a-longs, turned into weekly hangouts at the local karaoke bar (with three months of being in the friend zone) until another ordinary Friday night, December 15, 2017. Maybe it was the Christmas spirit(s), but we started to see each other in a different light the night of the Christmas party at Jake's and Matt's place in Canton. By New Year's Eve, we were on our first "real" date at Seacrets in Ocean City, MD to see our favorite cover band together. 3...2...1... and the rest is history.

Fast forward five years, and Jake and I have been living together with our rescue pup and BFF, Lily. Since our love story began during the most wonderful time of the year, it was only fitting to start the holiday season with a marriage proposal. I was heading home from another long day at work, ready to open a bottle of red and vent. As I walked in the door, I was greeted by Jake; who in hindsight seemed calm, cool and collected, and Lily; who was carrying a red rose dog toy in her mouth and had a Christmas card clipped to her collar. Jake had written me a beautiful love letter that ended with instructions for me to meet him outside for a surprise. In our backyard, down on one knee, in the middle of quite a Clark-Griswold-esque light display, Jake asked me to marry him, to which I believe I responded, (it's hard to remember, you sort of black out in this moment) "You know I will!"