Dustin & Crystal met many years back while they were both in intensive life transition periods. Neither of them expected much to come of their first date and yet they quickly realized that they weren’t meeting each other for the first time. The days, weeks, months and years that followed were proof of something more than either could describe. Divine timing and deep internal recognition of one another is possibly the only way to explain how the met.

Christmas Eve is held at the Blakley’s lake house each year and 2021 was no different. The whole extended family gathered to love on each other for one of the first times post pandemic. After dinner, dessert, and watching the kids open their gifts; we all headed down to take a family photo by the lake. Dustin would not stand with Crystal and instead started asking her mom about buttermilk. Crystal is getting annoyed that she found a great spot for them to stand in the family photo but instead of joining her- he is standing up near the house talking about buttermilk with her dad, mom, and brother. Dustin finally acknowledged Crystal and told her to walk up to where he was. Crystal was (as usual) oblivious. It wasn’t until Dustin started speaking, half to Crystal and half to the other forty family members patiently waiting for the photo, that Crystal realized what was happening. She went from slightly annoyed and very confused to overjoyed and overemotional. As soon as Dustin hit his knee- Crystal went with him. The entire proposal was a beautiful surprise to everyone but the buttermilk gang- Crystal will tell you that she never expected a thing until the moment it happened.