Another fun weekend with SO MUCH going on and not nearly enough sleep. Conrad is HARDCORE teething and was up at least every two hours last night (zzZZzZzz) and I spent all day Friday & Saturday at a conference for Women in Technology / Salesforce in Nashville. It was INCREDIBLE. Perhaps I’ll find some time to write a reflection post. I know a Women in Salesforce conference really isn’t wedding blog material – but it extended to a lot of powerful stories, tips, advice & thought provoking sessions around womxn in the workplace, entreprenuership, and overall tech world (where we are a minority of course – and even moreso at the intersectional level). But there were some EXTREMELY inspiring (and phew emotional) speakers that just blew my heart and my mind, and inspired me to take WHATEVER I do (whether this blog/wedding business or my day job in Tech Consulting), to help MORE people.
On another note – I am SO pumped to share this session with you guys today! The news has been depressing as usual, and waking up to a shooting in California makes it no different / worse / just another day in this country, but I HAVE to hold on to rad couples and LOVE. It’s the only way I can find the energy to continue to fight. Happy Monday Romancers.
We were both members of the WVU marching band in the early 2000s; however, Evan was in his (first) senior year and out of the band program once Melissa started as a freshman at WVU and was a member of the band. Although we were a few years apart in school, we both had mutual friends who hosted regular, weekend parties, so we met how many WVU students meet- at a house party.
Melissa would attend the parties with her best friend and sorority sister. The guys would always flirt with her friend, and Melissa always looked annoyed; Melissa was known at the parties as the girl with perpetual RBF. Evan was not deterred by Melissa’s RBF, and always flirted with her, until he would get drunk, then would make out with her (except we now realize it was more often than not, a mutual drunken make out sesh).
Evan wanted more than just getting drunk together, so one night Evan “manned” up and asked if he could make Melissa dinner. Melissa had never had a guy ask to do that, but she could tell that he was genuine. We dated briefly, but unfortunately, the timing wasn’t quite right. We parted ways for a few years, and reconnected in early 2011 through social media.
By then, Melissa had moved home to Maryland after graduating, and was working full time as a retail store manager, while Evan was still living in Morgantown, WV, and working on his masters degree. After about a month of messaging back-and-forth, we coordinated a weekend for him to come visit, and that was it! We have been together ever since.
The proposal: Melissa – Evan definitely caught me by surprise on this one. I tend to ruin surprises by guessing or asking too many questions about the things he tries to plan. Earlier in week of the proposal, he messaged our close friends on Facebook that something “BIG” was going to happen that weekend, and to be prepared for a “heads-up!” message to watch his Facebook Live post. His original idea to propose outside, at a really awesome spot in Frederick, didn’t work because the fall weather, which was beautiful and sunny that morning, turned into a windy and gray mess by lunchtime. So he had to improvise.
After having lunch with a friend in downtown Frederick, we all walked over to the Delaplaine Arts Center to check out some exhibits. While I was exploring, Evan messaged the group of friends on Facebook and handed his phone to our friend who began Facebook Live streaming so everyone was able to watch. The live stream caught it all – my hands go up to my face; my steps backwards and an audible, “stop” from my shock that this was actually happening; and my immediate ugly crying because it was actually happening and I was shocked! We had done the ring research, but I still had zero idea of when he was going to pop the question. I am so happy I have that moment on video forever, despite my initial response of backing away.
