We met how most people meet now....online. We both had been on several dates with no success so our expectations were somewhat low. Our first date was at Bar Louie in Denver. We sat at the bar and we talked about how Nicki’s last name reminded Alex of manicotti, one of his favorite pasta dishes. From that point on, sparks flew and we talked non stop. Everything from missing Whataburger since we are both Texans to our favorite movies. That is when everything changed. We went through family losses, job changes, moving in together, a giant move to Houston and a college graduation. It has been a wild ride, but we cannot imagine being with anyone else.

Alex had made up his mind a long time ago that he wanted to be with Nicki. With this being the case, all that had to be done was find the most opportune time do so. He felt that the Christmas of 2019 would be the best choice. 2019 was a hectic year with close call health scares and his college graduation in the mix. A couple of months before Christmas, Alex needed to find the right ring. He decided to purchase the ring on Black Friday with his entire family and Nicki’s mom on hand to help him pick the perfect ring. Fast forward to Christmas Eve, Alex and Nicki with Alex’s family and Nicki’s mom go to a Brazilian steakhouse and sit down in a semi-private wine room to enjoy the holiday together. Little did she know that this dinner would change the course of her life. He got up to make a toast and turned to Nicki and asked her to stand and got down on one knee and popped the question. After some tearful “Are you serious” and “no way” and “you son of a bitch”, Nicki said yes.