Vanessa was invited out to join her friend Jen and her coworkers for dinner. Jen's husband, Jason, later joined us and also invited his friend Chris. After dinner, some of us decided to go out somewhere else for some music and a change of atmosphere. As the evening progressed, we realized how much fun were having together. Eventually everyone decided to go their separate ways and the two of us ended up staying out getting to know each other better. There was a lot of laughter, stories from the past, and because we hit it off so well, that's when we decided our two lovely friends, Jen and Jason, conspired together to have us meet. The night seemed to fly by and we eventually parted ways. The very next day on July 11, 2015, we went on our official first date and we have be inseparable ever since.

Chris was turning the big 4-0 in August of 2018, so what better way to celebrate than to go on an all-inclusive trip to Secrets Resorts in Playa Mujeres, Mexico! The morning of our flight, we received the heartbreaking news that Vanessa's grandfather passed away. The loss was very hard on both of us, but we knew that grandpa would want us to enjoy our trip. So we did. On August 2, 2018, day four of our trip, we took a Catamaran expedition to go snorkeling, paddle boarding, swim in one of the top beaches in Mexico, and toured Isla Mujeres. Later that evening we had a delicious dinner and we walked down to the beach. We sat on the swings on the beach with our feet in the sand talking to each other and then Chris suddenly got down on one knee and proposed! With tears in our eyes and the glow of the moon reflecting off the ocean, I said, "Yes!" Elated with excitement and still in shock, we walked the beach and relaxed in one of the cabanas. We can still hear the beautiful waves of the ocean crashing onto the shore and see the beauty the world has left to offer us.