What’s your story? How did you meet? How did the proposal go?
We met on Eharmony.com. I (Alicia) had moved to Seattle about a year and a half prior to that and had been having no luck meeting new people, girls and guys alike. I started going to a local church and made some girl friends (now part of my wedding party); one of them suggested that I use internet dating to meet potential guys. Being from a small town with old fashioned values I had never thought of this type of dating, but after feeling so secluded in the big city I thought it would be worth a try. Kevin says he started using it for the same reasons, all of his guy friends were married and meeting single, successful women seemed near impossible. After about 9 months of Eharmony for me, I was matched with Kevin and we exchanged emails for an entire Summer, but never did meet. I had been on a few dead end dates and in August of that summer I decided that I was going to close down my Eharmony account. Kevin had emailed me in that same week and said he was going to shut his down too, and gave me his personal email. He also suggested that we meet. We emailed a few more times before I decided to give him my phone number. He called me the next day and we planned a date. We were going to meet at a restaurant down at Southcenter, near where he lived. The day of the date it was gorgeous outside, it was warm and summery, even in late September. I started thinking about the date and thought that I would feel more comfortable if we met closer to my house and that it might be nice to be outside, more relaxed. I called Kevin and asked if he would like to Picnic at Gasworks Park instead. He thought it was a great idea. I stopped by PCC on the way there and that’s when I started feeling nervous. I grabbed some sandwiches and some other Organic stuff (I wasn’t sure if he was the typical Seattlite or not!) When I pulled into the parking lot I called Kevin. He answered and said that he was in the parking lot, standing by the path. There were quite a few people around and I had only seen a few photos so I was pretty nervous. Then he saw me (red hair is hard to miss) and I saw him smile and wave at me. He was tall and blonde and adorable, talk about butterflies! We had our picnic and walked around the park, just talking. He was so easy to talk to and so laid back, I remember feeling instantly comfortable with him. After a few hours we decided to go over to Fremont and have a few drinks. The night was full of laughing and great conversation, it went perfectly and ended respectfully. I was so excited. It was sometime after our 4th date that I was driving home from his house one day and felt this overwhelming sense of “knowing.” I knew right then and there that Kevin was “the one.” I had always heard people talk about that feeling but never really believed it was a true thing until that day.

We were both on the same page from day one. We both wanted first and foremost, a family. We didn’t really plan on having the family before the marriage, but it did happen that way and we were both thrilled to find out we were having a baby. We considered having a shotgun wedding, before the baby was born, but decided that we wanted to wait until our little family was settled. Kevin had been talking about proposing to me for months, even only 6 months after we met. I think we both knew right away what was going to be. I gave him several “hints” at what kind of ring I wanted. Two of my best friends got engaged in Fall of 2012, it was then that I started to feel antsy, especially because I knew he would want to wait until the hype from their engagements were over.

I honestly had NO idea that Kevin was going to propose when he did. We were in my hometown of Longview WA over Thanksgiving holiday this past winter visiting my family when he popped the question. It had been a great trip, lots of food and time with my parents and siblings, even a few old friends. It was Saturday evening and Kevin suggested we go out to dinner, just us, to get away for a bit. I thought it was a great idea because I was feeling a little overwhelmed with my parents house and my siblings running around. We went to a local restaurant that I always loved and had dinner. From there we decided to just drive around town and look at Christmas lights. The city of Longview decorates one of the islands in the lake every year on Thanksgiving. Its funny that Kevin took me there because it is a place that has always been special to me, since I was a little kid.

We parked by the lake and walked down the path next to the water. It was super cold and crisp, but perfectly clear skies that night. There wasn’t a soul around either (which is unusual). We stood there looking at the hundreds of Christmas lights hanging over the water and on the trees when he said that he had something that he wanted me to wear in the photos for tomorrow (we were having professional maternity photos done the next day). I was puzzled until he put his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out the box. I was shocked and excited. He got on his knee and asked the question, I of course said yes. It was an exciting time and the ring what exactly what I always wanted. We hugged and kissed and laughed for a while before returning to my parents and sharing the news (my Dad already knew of course). The fact that he asked me at that island, by the lake was a big deal and I dont think he will ever understand why. It was a perfect proposal.