My husband Brian and I just celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. Our love story began on Facebook. We started off as Facebook friends. It turns out we had quite a bit in common as far as shared experiences. For our first date, Brian invited me to join him for lunch at Springfield’s Downtown Rotary as his guest. We followed that up with an extended “get to know each other better” session at Springfield Brewing Company for almost two hours after Rotary.  And then another get together, with my friends, later that same evening. After combining three dates into that first day, we were a couple from that day forward.

Here’s Brian’s thoughts: “Since our first date was at Rotary, I felt it would only be fitting to pop the question there as well. When Cortney decided to join our Downtown Rotary Club a year and half after our first date, I got to say a few introductory words as her sponsor. I explained to everyone about having our first date there and how it felt odd as a 47-year-old man to introduce her to everyone as “my girlfriend”. Then I said that this seemed like the perfect day to officially change that title to “my fiancée” and I surprised Cortney and the whole crowd by getting down on one knee, pulling out her engagement ring and proposing to her in front of the entire Rotary. She happily said ‘yes’.”

Just like any couple, our journey had it’s fair share of up and downs but I wouldn’t change it for the world.  I hope you enjoy our look back on the past three years.