The

Meeting

Keri and Joshua happened to "Bumble into each other" in early 2019. Having each ended serious relationships around the same time some months before, neither was looking to dive head-first into anything significant right away. Still, both felt ready to have someone in their lives.

After chatting online for a couple of weeks, their first date was at Del Frisco's Grille (check it out if you're in Downtown Fort Worth!). Keri came from a work gathering across the street to a standing ovation from her friends and coworkers who found out about the date after deciding she was too dressed up for them. Joshua, of course, assumed the ovation was for him.

Keri most remembers thinking, "Oh, he actually IS really tall." as she crossed the street and Joshua most remembers thinking, "She talked about the Founding Fathers at dinner."

The

Relationship

Over the rest of 2019, Joshua introduced Keri to his group of friends and she introduced him to her dog and her horse. They enjoyed trips to the Fort Worth Zoo, showing each other movies that they love, and talking about books. Joshua was working towards his nursing degree and started bringing his books over to Keri's house to study so they could still spend time together. The pandemic meant a lot more of that time together, and they found that being alone together was something they both preferred.

During this time, Joshua supported Keri through a career transition after a pandemic-related job loss and she continued to support his studies. Imagine a movie montage of lots of bookstores, movies, reading quietly together, trying new recipes, and talking about everything on their minds.

The

Proposal

When people ask about the proposal, Keri and Joshua are fond of saying "It actually surprised us both!"

Joshua's long-time friend and his wife were planning a trip from their home in Indiana to New Orleans in June of 2023. While he would be busy with a conference most days, his wife invited Joshua and Keri to join them and keep her company. Keri had long wanted to see New Orleans; Joshua had no interest in the city, but was eager to see his friends.

Nobody could have planned a more idyllic trip. They found a beautiful row house a block from the trolly and every activity, every attraction, every restaurant, every shop and museum and bookstore was fantastic. "This has been SUCH a good trip!" became a mantra they repeated to each other throughout each day.

On the last morning, Joshua couldn't sleep and got up to pack pre-dawn. Keri had no idea he was awake until she got up (post-sunrise, thank you very much) and passed him standing in a walk-in closet off the hallway on the way to the bathroom. She stopped in for a hug and a repeat of the "SUCH a good trip!" mantra.  Joshua agreed and added that the trip had solidified what he'd been thinking for a while: that he wanted their lives to be this way always.

To hear him tell the story: "I was anxious about being packed in time for checkout, so I decided that if I wasn't sleeping I may as well get up and pack. I had thought about proposing on the trip but had decided not to be cliché and just let the trip be the trip and plan a special evening once we'd gotten back. Then the trip was so great that I started thinking about not waiting again. I knew better than to try to pick out a ring on my own, but had decided to find some kind of trinket or other piece of jewelry to offer. We even looked through a few jewelry and antique stores during the week, but nothing seemed right. So I decided to wait. Then I was standing in that closet and thinking about the week and how wonderful it had been and I thought 'Do it now--don't wait.' and then I'd remember that I hadn't even gotten her anything and not to do it that way. And then we were both there and all I could think was 'It's now -- this is it' and it was happening."

Sunset beaches and mountaintops and fancy restaurants and sporting events are just fine, but don't underestimate the romance of the walk-in closet.