Gabi & TJ

"We officially met back in November of 2014 at the church we were both a part of.  (We had previously met back in high school November of 2011 at a church event, but I don't remember it for the life of me... oops.)  Gabi was reserved at first, but always very conversational and asking me questions about me. Meanwhile, I was my oblivious self who liked talking to Gabi 'cause she sure was interesting as well as gorgeous, but I didn't think much of it at first.  After seeing each other most weeks at church groups and talking (flirting) more and more each time, we finally started talking outside of group.  We would stay up 'til the early hours of the morning talking about the most random things:  what our thoughts were on any subject we could imagine and more importantly, more about who the other person was.  Once we started dating, we spent as much time together as possible: sushi dates, lake days, hammocks in the park, drive-in movies, and days spent with family.  We spent that summer in basically a romantic movie, then headed off to school at GCU where we lived for a year and eventually came back to Scottsdale and have been by each other's side through the last (almost) three years.

Gabi started the initial pursuit. I was hesitant at first as she was a senior in high school, and I was a sophomore in college.  As we spent more time spent talking, I knew it would be stupid to pass up an opportunity with a girl so incredible and beautiful, so I asked her out (told her that I liked her and wanted to go out) in a Walmart parking lot while we were shopping for ugly Christmas sweaters.  Super classy, for sure. 

I proposed with 248 Roses, 30+ candles, and some tears.  After planning a day with her family and mine, Gabi's mom, sister, and best friend took her out for a girls' day.  Meanwhile, I decorated her apartment with vases of roses, candles, and rose petals that led to the center of her living room, and I waited... Once she walked in, I started crying, of course, and somehow got the words out to ask her to marry me.  Thankfully, she said yes."

-TJ