This past summer my brother, Nathan, came to our family ready to propose to his high-school sweetheart, Kendall. They had been talking about getting married for as long as I can remember and the day had finally arrived to start their next adventure. After a couple days, he decided on sending Kendall on a scavenger hunt around their hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Nathan completely blew me out of the water with this idea and trust me it gets better. At each stop, he had a family member positioned to give Kendall her next clue and a purple heart balloon - Kendall's favorite color is purple. He constructed a playlist filled with their favorite songs for Kendall to listen to in the car AND had a photographer hidden to capture the moment. Throughout the whole planning process, Nathan's sole goal - besides getting engaged of course - was to make Kendall happy and for it to be a day she would never forget.
It was set to take place on July 8, 2017 - this is was their four and a half year anniversary and 8 is Kendall's favorite number. I was assigned to escort Kendall around Fredericksburg jamming to love songs all day.
And we were off!
The First Clue: Kendall's House
I arrived at Kendall's house at exactly 1:45 p.m. carrying my note and a purple heart balloon. Within seconds of opening the front door, she knew exactly what today was going to hold and she couldn't be more excited. She was allowed 15 minutes to get dressed and ready for the day!
Stop 1: Fishing Pond
While listening to the first song on the playlist "Marry You" by Bruno Mars, we arrived at the first stop where Nathan and Kendall spent a lot of their time dating fishing at a pond down the road. Kendall was greeted by her Mom and a balloon.
Stop 2: Carl's Ice-Cream
The next clue took her to Carl's ice-cream, the best ice cream stand in Fredericksburg, to grab herself a cone. Nathan had enclosed cash, as her clue, since Carl's is cash only! When we arrived downtown at exactly 2:30 p.m., Kendall was greeted by her brother, Ryan and his fiancé, Haley.
Stop 3: Fredericksburg Expo Center
The next stop was the Fredericksburg Expo Center where they "danced the night away in red" or better known as where they attended Prom. Nathan's Mom was waiting at the front entrance and another balloon to add to our hunt!
Stop 4: Texas Roadhouse
The next clue led her to Texas Roadhouse. This is symbolic of when Nathan and Kendall traveled to Frisco, Texas to watch the JMU Dukes win the National Championship in January 2016. In addition to that, Kendall and Nathan do indulge occasionally in buttered rolls and cinnamon butter. Inside Texas Roadhouse was Nathan's Dad, he had ordered a Peach Bellini - Kendall's signature drink- and they toasted to Nathan and Kendall!
Stop 5: Fredericksburg Mall - She Said Yes to the Dress!
After finding the perfect dress, we were back at Kendall's to get ready and she was instructed to head down into the basement for her next clue. What Kendall didn't know was Nathan had asked Kendall's grandmother, famously known as MomMom, to come down from Maryland and surprise Kendall!
Stop 6: Kendall's Basement
Once Kendall was ready, she went into the basement to be surprised by MomMom waiting with the next clue. The tears were flowing, but Kendall still hadn't found Nathan yet.
A quick picture with Tycho and Tucker before heading out!
Stop 7: Chick-fil-a
The next stop was Chick-fil-a, because Nathan and Kendall are their biggest customers by far. We pulled into Chick-fil-a at exactly 5:15 p.m. to meet Kendall's Dad with the final clue - "Go where it all began.
Stop 8: Massaponax High School Football Field
Finally! We are headed to get engaged and I'm personally exhausted from driving the past 3 hours, but beyond excited for Nathan and Kendall. As we come up on Massaponax High School football field, where they had their first date, "Marry Me" by Train comes on as the final song on our playlist. You probably are thinking this stuff only happens in movies?!
As Kendall stepped out of the car, "From the Ground Up" by Dan + Shay plays over the whole football field. This is their favorite song and they have always said that they will dance to at their wedding.
A few minutes later and a lot of tears, Nathan and Kendall are engaged and the stands erupt in cheers.
I chose to write this article 1. I'm hoping Ellen sees it and 2. To share what absolute true love is and Nathan and Kendall could not be a better example of it. I have spent the past four and half years watching them fall in love, eat their weight in chicken nuggets, but more importantly put each other first.
This is only the start of their love story and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter of it #foreverferlazzo
