Talk about putting your partner first! It was Kenny's 30th birthday and we were on a celebration trip to paradise! Literally, we flew to Paradise Island in the Bahamas and he popped the question! It couldn't have come as more of a surprise to me! Not only had our relationship been ongoing for what was coming up to 14 years but it was a monumental birthday celebration for Ken; I mean, you only turn 30 once! When we first arrived to the Atlantis and were settling into our room, taking in the beautiful view from the balcony, we both noticed this long concrete jetty that appeared to dart out into the ocean directly in front of the hotel. We both agreed then that we must find our way out onto that wharf and venture to the furthest point before we leave the Island.

The first day we were in paradise we checked out the hotel, exploring the numerous exciting things to see on the grounds and venturing to the beautiful private beaches. The next day was Ken's 30th birthday so the celebrations and libations only continued. We had been in the casino, raking in the dough from our newly found talent in Craps (or at least having a great time while we learned), when we came to a point in the night that it was time to take a break from gambling. We decided that it was the perfect opportunity to take our adventure in checking out that concrete jetty at the oceans edge. We made a pit stop at our room to grab a few drinks for the walk, took the journey down through the resort and found the sandy path that led to the pier. It was windy, it was chilly, it was pitch black with only the moonlight shining over the ocean. We managed to climb onto the jetty and walk to the furthest point, just as we had hoped; we were standing in the ocean breeze, just enjoying each other's presence under the starry night sky. The silence is then broken when Kenny says something along the lines of "I'm here in paradise with the love of my life on my 30th birthday. Do you know what would make this birthday even better??" 

You guessed it! At that moment, Kenny gets down on one knee, takes the ring out of his pocket and slips it onto my finger, asking that very special question! I'm not going to hide it, I'm pretty sure my immediate reaction was just shock and I asked something close to if he was serious or is this was really happening. But of course after that initial shock, my answer wasn't anything other than "YES, finally!" It has been long-awaited but worth every moment! We are both so thankful that we found each other and for everyone that has touched our lives along our journey to marriage.