From the bride: It was fate!! Many events had to take place in order for Ryland and I to actually be in the same place at the same time. I was living in Tucson, AZ where I grew up, newly divorced, a single parent and working while taking classes towards a nursing degree. I WAS NOT looking to meet anybody, let alone start a relationship. Ryland is a helicopter pilot in the Marines, and was stationed on Oahu, Hawaii. His squadron was at the air base in Yuma, AZ (about 3 hours from Tucson) for 6 weeks of training. They had 24 hours of leave and one of the guys wanted to drive to Tucson to go to a University of Arizona football game. We met after the game at a local bar, and I can honestly say that I JUST KNEW he was going to be a very important person in my life. Ryland flew to see me in AZ about 5 times that fall, then his squadron deployed for 7 months to Afghanistan. While deployed, he managed to find a way to call me every single day for 7 months, just to tell me he was safe and home from whatever mission he had been flying. When they returned safe and sound to Hawaii, he brought me out to visit him and that’s where I think we both really fell in love with each other. I also fell in love with Hawaii, visiting Ryland was my first time there. He was home about 4 months and we traveled back and forth to see each other often, but then the squadron deployed to Afghanistan again, this time for 8 very long months. I got a phone call every single day for 8 months. I was in nursing school at the time, and the fast pace of school made the deployment seem a little bit easier.

Ryland made it back safe from his second deployment and we started talking about marriage. The military moved him from Hawaii to Monterey, CA and my daughter and I were visiting him for New Year’s. We stayed in that night and after Cheyenne was asleep we were watching TV waiting for the new year’s eve Ball to drop, drinking wine. He went downstairs and came back up with a huge box, wrapped and heavy. (I knew it couldn’t be a ring and was very disappointed, haha!). He told me he bought me a picture of our favorite spot on Oahu; Lanikai Beach. It was too heavy to carry on the airplane at Christmas, so he was giving it to me now. It was a picture of Lanikai Beach, and he’d had the proposal written in the sand. While I was opening the box Ryland got down on one knee and said the most wonderful, amazing words. We both cried, I said YES!!!, we popped Champagne and that was it!

Vendors: The Perry House // Fleurish Floral Design // Gayle’s Bakery and Rosticerria // Kelly Pro Entertainment //