ER nurse meets firefighter-paramedic, and the rest is history. All I knew when I started my brand new job at Medical City Alliance ER was that Mikey Grossman was hot, he was everyone's friend, and I wanted to get to know him like that, too. Mikey was immediately drawn to me as well. He says he liked my fun, positive personality. I, however, had no idea that the silicone ring I wore on my ring finger (as many nurses do for safety purposes) would deter him for eight whole months. Frankly I figured he was disinterested. Fine then, I thought. Friends it is. Even if you are super smart and handsome and sweet! We can be friends.

I had plans to move out of state in the fall, unless of course Mikey asked me out. Then I would allow my plans to dissolve. It was this vague, almost subconsciously-written loophole. In the summer of 2021, I noticed Mikey shared my sweet tooth. We both hovered near the communal bag of candies at work, and usually ended up in conversation there. I made a mental note of when we worked together next--and I would bring a bag of candy that day, specifically for him. (He later told me this is when it clicked for him; that I was shamelessly flirting with him and very likely not married.) I saved his favorite flavor gummy worms for him (orange), and he saved me mine (pink). A little gesture, yes, but it seemed like an almost cosmic sign at the time. Days later, he very hesitantly asked if I would have dinner with him (still half convinced I could have been married), and I said, "Mikey, I would love to have dinner with you!" It took everything I had not to say "finally!!!!!!!!!" Obviously I didn't move out of state. Best decision ever.

We adopted Maya the day before Halloween in 2021. This dog has kept us on our toes from the very beginning. From the time she thought the bleach bottle was a chew toy, to the time she grew to be 65 lbs and dragged me around in the dog park, to the time we had to put cayenne on her poop just to keep her from eating it... Mikey and I joke that she's teaching us how to have patience for when we're actually parents someday. Maya is our ray of sunshine. She is such a fun, sweet personality. It hasn't been easy, but we have zero regrets.

I had been on red alert, having active one-knee paranoia for WEEKS. We had picked the ring a while ago. When was he going to do it?! And where? Was I supposed to dress cute and do my hair every day? Constantly keep my lashes and nails on par?! I'm not that kind of girl. I don't have that kind of energy reserve. And it was driving me crazy. Mikey and I said a brief goodbye to each other when I left Texas for Colorado for a travel ER nurse assignment. He started dreaming up these extravagant plans for his visit just a few weeks later, to celebrate our one year anniversary. He was going on about a hike at a National Park, followed by dinner reservations, and a cabin in the mountains. As the planner in the relationship, I heard all of this and knew he was up to something. Well, not up to something. I knew he was proposing. The day came ... It had been three very long weeks since we'd seen each other. I hastily put my Jeep in park along the curb at the airport once I saw him and immediately threw myself into Mikey's arms. It really was just like the movies. Heart pounding. Holding back tears. Rushing for that first kiss. Of course, he looked better than I remembered! We drove straight into the mountains, both of us still in awe at each other, that we were together again, and also in awe at the sight around us. Green everywhere, mountains as far as the eye could see, our ears continuously popping. Us simple Texans aren't used to scenery like that! We actually stopped at a gas station and took photos of the background. Later, after we'd checked into our lodge in Grand Lake, Mikey took me on a hike that supposedly would lead to a waterfall. It was a semi-crowded trail, so we maneuvered a bit until we were alone. Mikey was taking an awful lot of photos and videos, more so than usual. (Was I onto him? Of course I was. Did I ask any questions? Of course not.) I was sitting on a boulder that overlooked the waterfall and the trees. Mikey was tinkering with his camera and tripod, acting as if he was trying to get nature photos of me. I was confused as to why his big clunky backpack was at my feet for all of these photos. He didn't seem bothered by it. He eventually asked if I could reach into his backpack and hand him some sort of extension device for the tripod. I thought nothing of it. So, I followed instructions. After a moment, I found a peculiar item: a mint tin. The very first gift I'd ever given Mikey, from before we started dating. I was not expecting to find that instead of an extension device! And of course, a diamond ring was nestled inside of it. Next thing I knew, Mikey was down on one knee asking me to marry him! It was perfect. Just the two of us, a beautiful place, and a wonderful promise of a life to be shared together.