PROPOSAL DATE:
March 19, 2022
PROPOSAL LOCATION:
Napa Valley, CA
PROPOSAL STORY:
It all started on a pickle ball court in Arizona...
I had recently returned home to Texas from a deployment in Afghanistan. My cousin in Phoenix, Laurie, said she needed to help me find a nice woman. Darcy, Alyssa's mom and Laurie’s pickleball partner and friend, said "Hey, I have a daughter who is single and I think is pretty amazing, we should set them up!"
After much persuading on Darcy and Laurie's end (the men tell it differently), Alyssa finally agreed to it. On July 3, 2020 I texted Alyssa for the first time.
After a month and a half of texting and facetimes, we decided to meet face to face. Due to COVID restrictions, I was not allowed to travel more than 150 miles from Dyess Air Force Base, so Alyssa had to make the second move. On August 28, 2020 Alyssa boarded her first of many flights from Phoenix to Texas.
We tried valiantly to make sure we saw each other in person at least once a month. Our adventures took us to Arizona, Texas, Iowa, South Dakota, Utah, and California.
In the fall of 2021, I was due for a new Air Force assignment and listed California at the top of my list, in hopes of convincing Alyssa to join me. Alyssa had grown up in California and I knew she would be happy to move back there. After a year and a half of long distance and many airline miles, we moved to California together in November 2021.
On March 19, 2022, Alyssa and I went on a dinner date in Napa Valley, California. I had never been to Napa Valley, California so I was secretly on a mission to find an appropriate place to propose…all the while carrying the diamond engagement ring in my pocket and pretending we were just going for a romantic walk around town before dinner.
Alyssa made it known early on in our relationship that she did not want any fanfare or a crowd at our engagement, so I was on the lookout for a quiet spot. The sun was rapidly setting and our dinner reservation quickly approaching…so after a couple block walk, I narrowed down the spot and excitedly managed to find someone to snap a few pictures during the proposal. I got down on one knee and asked Alyssa if she would marry me…and thankfully, she said yes! Something that stands out clearly from my proposal is Alyssa saying how she could not get over how much the diamond sparkled and that I picked out the perfect engagement ring! Thank you, Gunderson’s!
THE RING:
White gold 2ct diamond solitaire with diamond band
WEDDING DATE:
December 30, 2022
WEDDING LOCATION:
Carlsbad, CA
