It is said that every 30 years a Joel will find their soulmate at Florida State University. Okay, no one actually says that, but it’s exactly what has happened. In 1987, my parents fell in love while attending FSU. On that same campus in 2018, I met Matt while attending orientation for our Master's program. We had our first real conversation at the home of one of our professors. This began a six month friendship for me and a six month secret crush for Matt. Well, secret from me as everyone else could see it. It wasn’t until Matt’s 24th birthday party that we both knew we had feelings for each other. Still Matt waited until 12:00 am on December 31 to ask me to be his girlfriend because he knew New Years Eve is one of my favorite holidays. I should have known that when he proposed to me, he would make it everything I dreamed of…after all he's my destiny.

I always knew Hannah was my soulmate from the very beginning. Even before we started dating, I always found myself wanting to be in her presence because she always made me laugh and smile. We shared the same sense of humor, tastes in music, and loved the ‘Noles together. I remember one night early in our relationship saying to myself “I am going to marry this girl”. Hannah never realized that when she decided to get her MPH, she would receive her MRS degree as well. As for when to propose, I wanted to wait until we both graduated from FSU and established ourselves in Jacksonville. Living together for six months allowed us to grow together and understand each other’s quirks… especially our major pet peeves. The addition of Ruby (woof woof) last July to our family was the biggest blessing and responsibility we gained. I felt the next logical step was to propose to the love of my life. But how was I going to do it? What ring? Where? And the biggest question… how would I fool the most investigative sleuth girlfriend on the planet? (SHE NOTICES EVERYTHING) So yeah, it would be difficult.

Throughout our relationship, Hannah was never shy in giving me hints on the type of ring she wanted, how she wanted to be proposed to and where it would occur. Hannah’s dream proposal consisted of a gentle snowfall while the love of her life knelt before her. I knew exactly the area I wanted to do it... and where it potentially would snow for the big moment. Although we both grew up near beaches, Hannah and I have a soft spot for the mountains. The peacefulness, the serenity, we love it. Deciding on the North Georgia mountains was an easy choice for me. The grand scheme happened over MLK weekend. The Joel’s had already semi-planned a weekend trip to the mountains months before but unfortunately it didn’t work out. However, this played in my favor because a “family trip” idea was already planted and wouldn’t be too surprising for Hannah. In order to pull off the proposal though, all of the details would need to come from her parents. So around the Christmas tree, Bob explained to everyone about the last Christmas present from them: a trip to Georgia.

Let me tell you - I was so excited when January 16th came. Hannah and I drove 7 hours the night before, reaching the cabin around midnight. I spent that night rehearsing what I wanted to say and thinking of all contingency plans. In the morning, the Joel’s and I discussed the plans for the day. Breakfast, hiking a nearby waterfall and meeting downtown Helen afterwards - so Hannah thought. Hannah and I went to breakfast with Blake and Jon, and I planned to get us to Anna Ruby Falls by noon. This specific waterfall was fitting because our puppy dog is named Ruby and it would be special for the both of us. It took us around an hour to drive down the mountain from where we were staying and by this time it was steadily snowing. If only it keeps snowing for the perfect moment, fingers crossed. We arrived at the falls and I became so nervous! I was about propose to Hannah, my best friend, the love of my life! We reached the observation deck with the Atlanta photographer hiding in the corner. Luckily, the area cleared as we walked up to the base of the waterfall. Fooling Hannah, I went up to a nearby couple and asked to record a video for me. Next was a blur... for the both of us. Surprised and in shock, Hannah’s face lit up with joy and bliss. I expressed my love, knelt my right knee, reached in my coat pocket, pulled out the diamond ring, and asked Hannah if she would spend the rest of her life with me. Fortunately for me, she smiled, chuckled, and replied with a resounding “YES!” It was truly magical as the snow gently fell around us.