How We Met & How He Asked

HOW WE MET

Dillon & I officially met in 10th grade (2006) when we had an art class together. The following year we both ran cross country, shared many mutual friends and eventually became best friends! We began dating our senior year of high school (2008), ventured off to App State together & have since dated through all of life’s milestones & changes (9 years!).

Fast forward to 2017! & here we are!! During this particular season of life, I was deciding how I could go back to school for nursing… juggling concepts of: application cycles, moving away, financial constraints, loan applications… It was a particularly stressful time & I was not myself. I was in very complicated place & all I did was stress out, cry about the future. AKA- how it was very easy for Dillon to sneak a proposal by me because I was too stressed out & ONLY thinking about school.

HOW HE PROPOSED

I was completely surprised!!! Dillon & I love each other very much & we had definitely discussed marriage & a future together… However, after 9 years you quit holding your breath for a proposal. I’ve told everyone, I knew it would be in this lifetime, but I would’ve never expected it to be that night! Besides, all I had planned for our anniversary weekend was to discuss which nursing school I was going to attend for the millionth time, cry about finances & stress about the possible outcomes! —Poor Dillon, he so lovingly talked out these things with me for hours the weeks prior…

Dillon & I have dated “long distance” (Greensboro-Raleigh) for the last 3 years and we’ll typically rotate weekend visits. Our anniversary was November 11th, a Saturday so I planned to come hang out for a chill long weekend together.

The week of… Dillon had been acting a little fishy & I could tell something was up, I was so pleased when I thought I had it all figured out. I was convinced, Dillon had bought a new couch for the apartment I had been ~~demanding~~ hinting he purchase for a while now as an anniversary gift! When I got to town & there was no couch, I was honestly a little disappointed. lol

The day of… Dillon had mentioned plans for us later in the evening. I hadn’t seen my sister in a long time & when she texted me to ask if I wanted to go get my nails done with this gift card she had won at school, I was absolutely game!! {lol, this was fake, she & Dillon had conspired} Together, we hung out at Cameron Village & she convinced me to buy this red jumpsuit to wear for a fun anniversary night out, whatever that may be… so I threw an outfit together the day of (definitely not a typical move) and headed back later that afternoon…

Dillon & I hung out and then got ready for our anniversary date. He was so calm & chill, but did get some phone calls in the shower? Which I thought was kind of weird… I later found out that was the photographer CANCELING on him!! ~He found a new photographer in less than 2 hours?!

When we got in the car, he still wouldn’t tell me the surprise! We arrived the JC Raulston Arboretum shortly after & it was their Moonlight in the Garden event! It was so beautiful & I thought that was the whole surprise!! There were lights, flowers, live music, food trucks, S’MORES! Once we got to a certain spot on the trail, he turned around all teared up & PROPOSED!!

I was totally in shock!!! I couldn’t believe it!! Here I was in the middle of this beautiful garden with my ~~boyfriend~~ fiance, telling me the most sweetest things ever & then he just gave me this amazing ring?! It all happened so quickly! I went from thinking I was going to have a heart attack about school to my heart exploding with joy in like five minutes?! & then my sneaky sister popped out from behind a bush?! I had no clue she even knew!! & we had spent the whole afternoon together?!! WHAT!!! I don’t know how Dillon & Devon could’ve kept this from me!! -Not to mention my parents who we also saw earlier that day?!

After a few tears… hugs & OMGOSH moments, we went on to enjoy the rest of the event… the polka band gave us a shout out & I of course had to make a s’more!! We got a few more pictures, then Dillon & I celebrated at ANGUS BARN!! We were so excited & jittery & barely ate anything!

Getting engaged is seriously the most exciting thing! Just looking at these pictures, I can feel how happy we were that evening! Dillon was so relieved to finally discuss the planning process & I was just so completely surprised!! He did such a great job! Our engagement was just the jolt I needed to realize there is more to life than school or worries or money & I’m so thankful Dillon could bear with me & wake me up!