I never thought a blind date would turn out to be the love of my life. That sort of story only happens in the movies. But after Amber pestered me for weeks to take her sister-in-law on a date, I decided to ask Stephanie to dinner (after all, Amber had made Stephanie out to be an angel, and she wasn't lying). That was the moment my life changed.

 

I knew Stephanie was someone special 2 minutes into the car ride to dinner on that Thursday evening in April. She made me laugh like I'd never laughed, and her laugh was a sound I knew I could spend my life listening to. She was beautiful. Absolutely drop-dead gorgeous, and she was even more wonderful than Amber had described.

 

We had a lovely dinner at Applebee's followed by coffee at Daily Grind. Though she thought I was bored with her, all I could think the entire time was, "How can I get her on a second date?" 

 

I was hooked from the start, and that's the honest truth. I never believed people when they said they fell in love with someone instantaneously...but now I do, because I did.

 

It was roughly 2 months when we first talked about getting married. It was 3 months when I bought her engagement ring, and 4 months when I proposed. I'm sure some people couldn't understand how we could be engaged so soon, but for us, there was no question.

 

I planned it for a month. My parents and Stephanie's parents all helped me keep the secret and plan the perfect surprise. I told her a friend of mine was getting engaged, and we were having dinner with them. When I picked her up for dinner, I told her I'd forgotten their gift card at home, so we turned around and went to my house. At home, I had turned the back porch into a romantic outdoor room with lights strung from the ceiling and a screen showing a video I'd made for her comprised of scenes from all her favorite musicals. As Train's "Marry Me" filled the air, she stepped outside, and I dropped to my knee. Afterward, we had a candlelight dinner that I'd prepared (it wasn't too awful) and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. The night was truly magical and one I'll never forget. 

 

I think back to that night at Applebee's and how, even then, 15 minutes after I'd met Stephanie, I knew I was sitting with the girl who would change my life forever.