Our story began in April of 2021, just as COVID was finally becoming more manageable and the world was opening back up. Sam was headed back to in-person teaching in just a few days, and had committed to saying 'yes' to social events again to help her get out of hermit mode. She said yes to joining her coworker and friend Lori for a post-run winery visit where she finally got to meet Lori's wonderful niece (and Cody's wonderful aunt) Melody. Melody and Sam hit it off right away, and when Melody heard that Sam was single, she knew just the person to set her up with.

Melody invited Sam back to the house to meet her dashing nephew, Cody, and (testing her commitment to saying yes) she agreed to come out for a visit. Little did Sam know, she would also get the privilege of meeting Cody's mom, who happened to be in town for a visit. Despite the unusual circumstances, Cody and Sam hit it off right away. Cody knew immediately that he had met someone special. So special, in fact, that against his uncle Kyle's dating advice to play it cool and wait to reach out, he called her the next day wanting to know when he could see her again.

Sam was pleasantly surprised to hear from Cody so soon (the pandemic was a strange time for socializing) and agreed to go on their first official date to see Chris Couch perform at the Hallowed Halls.

Cody and Sam continued to date and grow closer over the following summer. Cody even took Sam on a trip back to his hometown to meet the family so you know it was serious. Toward the end of 2021 they decided to move in together and truly begin building a life together.

The next year was full of ups and downs in health and work, but having each other was stability in all of the chaos. Even on the bad days the best part was each other. That's how they knew that this was something that could make it for the long haul.

In 2023, Cody and Sam had talked about getting engaged over the summer. They tried on rings, and talked about what marriage meant and looked like to each of them. The ring took a little longer to arrive than Cody anticipated, but by early September everything was finally in place.

Cody planned a very sweet and sentimental surprise for the proposal. He enlisted the help of Kyle and Melody, as well as their daughters, his brother, and our good friend Jana to be a part of the surprise. As far as Sam knew. they were just headed out to play golf in Eagle Creek. As they pulled around to the 14th hole, Cody took Sam's hand and led her to a special spot.

Back in 2021 when Cody and Sam first started dating, they had gone out for a little late night golf cart ride across the course. In a very sweet gesture, Cody pulled out a speaker, put on 'Come Away With Me' by Norah Jones and asked Sam to dance under the stars with him on the 14th green. It was their first dance as a new couple.

On the 14th green, Cody expressed how much he loved Sam, and she knew that this was finally the moment, He got down on one knee, offered her a beautiful ring, and asked her to be his wife. She happily said yes with tears in her eyes, completely swept away in this beautiful surprise moment.

When she finally turned around she saw Kyle and Melody with champagne to toast, Cody's brother and Jana there taking pictures, and the Kyle and Melody's daughters running over to embrace the newly engaged couple. It was a moment of pure love, joy, and celebration.

Since the engagement Sam and Cody have grown closer as they plan the wedding and honeymoon, share the ups and downs of day to day life, and dream out the beautiful future they share. They are so excited to spend the rest of their lives together!