From her POV!!!!
We met at work—him, a soldier, and me, a government civilian contractor. I spotted his name on his uniform from emails and decided to stop him in the hall one day to fuss about some paperwork he sent my way. He just looked at me like, “What’s wrong with you?” I was a bit mean, but it had nothing to do with him; I was just freaked out because the moment we started talking, I heard God say, “This is your husband.”

Shaun was super shy back then, and I later learned he asked my coworker, Ms. Gee, to introduce us. When we officially met, I heard God say it again: “This is your husband.” But what God didn’t mention was that it would take 13 years to get to this point—lol!

For about a month, he’d email me asking what I was doing for lunch, and every day I’d respond with, “Ruby Tuesdays,” hoping he’d ask to join. I thought for sure he’d ask me out, but he never did... I should’ve known then that he marches to the beat of his own drum!

Finally, I got fed up and just sent him my number. He didn’t even text or call—he kept emailing me! 😡 So, I invited him to lunch.

We had a blast and chatted every day for a month. Then, out of nowhere, he introduced me as his girlfriend to his Sergeant Major at his reenlistment ceremony, and I was like, “Since when?!”

He never did ask me to be his girlfriend—smh!

Fast forward 13 years and a mountain of bumps, curves, and ditches we’ve navigated together. Seriously, we barely made it through some of those hurdles, but we committed to each other and our family, growing closer than ever.

And here we are, from 2012 to 2025: two beautiful kiddos, a cozy home, thriving careers, engaged, and planning a wedding for all of you to celebrate with us.

So now it’s party time! And trust me, after all we’ve been through, we really mean PARTY!!! 🎉

Photo is from our first lunch date in September of 2012!!!

From His POV!
We met at Fort Lee, VA—she was a government civilian contractor at the Soldier Support Center, and I was a Soldier. I would see her often but never knew she was single. I always thought she was beautiful, but my shyness held me back from saying anything. It took me a while to work up the courage to ask her coworker, Ms. Gee, about her. One day, when I stopped by, Ms. Gee mentioned she was at lunch and told me she usually ate at Ruby Tuesday. I never would have guessed that was her favorite spot at the time.

After that conversation, I finally found the courage to ask her to lunch, and of course, we went to Ruby Tuesday. That lunch turned out to be the start of something special. It meant so much that I invited her to my reenlistment ceremony with the Quartermaster General. I introduced her as my girlfriend because I needed her to know I was serious about her.

The past 13 years have brought us both incredible highs and some of our toughest challenges, but through it all, we’ve learned valuable lessons that will guide us into the future.

In December 2023, I secretly purchased an engagement ring, only telling a few people. I waited until I had her father’s blessing before proceeding. On June 13, 2024, I took her out for her birthday, planning to surprise her. Since she isn’t a cake person, I got cupcakes from "Nothing Bundt Cakes" to deliver the proposal message. Even with two cameras on her, she didn’t realize what was happening. She finally opened the card, read the message, and when she looked up, I was already on one knee. The rest is why you are reading this.

The Lord has blessed us with two beautiful children and the unwavering support of our family and friends. We are deeply grateful for all we have and can not wait to celebrate our special day with you.