& End of an Era

By the beginning of 2025, Ben and Olivia’s time in Florida was winding down. What started as casual talks about the future turned into serious conversations about job changes (Ben officially deciding to hang up his CPA firm badge after one final tax season in the trenches), cross-state moves, and life beyond their beloved Delray Beach apartment.

Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Ben had been plotting something else entirely—an epic engagement to mark the beginning of forever. Because when life gets chaotic, why not throw in a proposal to top it all off? (and throw Olivia off, who is the most difficult person on the planet to surprise). Was it overwhelming? Slightly. Was it exciting, unforgettable, and wildly romantic? Absolutely.

It all started right after Christmas when the two went ring shopping together. Now, if you know Olivia, you know she’s not your “typical” bride-to-be. She single-handedly sent several jewelers into existential crisis after declaring she didn’t want anything “sparkly, shiny, or big”—you know, basically the holy trinity of engagement rings. One jeweler allegedly changed careers shortly after their appointment.

Instead, Ben and Olivia set out to design a ring that actually meant something—sentimental, meaningful, and extremely not shiny. With the ring finally secured, the countdown was on. Olivia knew it would be ready before her birthday, and she also knew Ben wouldn’t have the patience to wait until after their big move. The window was somewhere between March and May, and Olivia, self-declared master of deduction, was on high alert.

Her only request for the proposal? “Surprise me.” Which is hilarious because Olivia is harder to surprise than a cat in a bathtub. By day, she runs her own marketing business, but Ben is still convinced she moonlights as a covert FBI agent. No detail goes unnoticed.

The first big sniff came on Olivia’s birthday—March 14, 2025. Ben planned a suspiciously fancy dinner in West Palm Beach. Olivia was skeptical. “Surely not on my birthday,” she thought. But then Ben said he was wearing a sport coat. A sport coat. This is a man who insists that men’s formalwear is more akin to a monkey suit. Red flags were flying.

Then the dinner plans suddenly shifted. Instead of heading for drinks first, Ben redirected them on a long, scenic stroll through a historical park. A very long stroll. Olivia’s heart started racing. Ben was walking five feet ahead of her, scanning the area like a Secret Service agent. He kept randomly asking her to identify trees. “Is this a Live Oak? What about this one?” Olivia was now 99% certain: the proposal was happening.

And she was right—something was about to go down.

As they rounded the corner, Olivia braced herself for the moment. And there it was…not Ben on one knee, but a homeless man relieving himself in broad daylight. Turns out, Ben wasn’t scouting the perfect proposal spot—he was just trying to shield Olivia from an impromptu public urination. Romance!

So no, it wasn’t the proposal. But it was, in true Olivia and Ben fashion, unforgettable and a great story to tell later on.

By April 2025, while nothing had been officially locked in—no finalized move, no job signed, and no ring on a finger (at least from Olivia’s perspective)—Ben had already mapped it all out. The ring was hidden in plain sight in his home office, and a plan was in motion.

Then, like a Florida hurricane finally deciding to make landfall, everything started to fall into place. Ben got a surprise job interview with UPS in Sandy Springs, Georgia—a city that hadn’t even made their short list. What started as a “let’s just see how it goes” interview quickly became something more. Olivia, intrigued, asked, “Why aren’t we considering Georgia?” To which Ben replied, “We did, and you said no!” (Ah, the joys of mutual indecision.)

Long story short, the interview went great, and the couple suddenly found themselves planning a scouting trip to Northern Georgia—just as Ben was gearing up for the big proposal.

Ben had chosen the perfect day: April 25, 2025. Olivia would be returning from a visit to her brother in Indianapolis, giving Ben just enough space to finalize the details. The location? None other than the place where it all began—Puttin’ Around, the mini golf course in Delray Beach where they had their first date.

The whole evening had been carefully disguised as a casual date night—framed by Ben as a “you’ve been gone all week, let’s just do something relaxed and low-key tonight” kind of outing. Just two people, some mini golf, maybe a taco or two—nothing suspicious. To further sell the ruse, when Olivia got back from the airport, Ben even asked offhandedly if she still felt like going to the mini golf course. When she said yes, he smoothly shifted into “last hoorah in Florida” mode—checking off sentimental favorites like their first-date spot (Puttin’ Around) and their go-to local restaurant, El Camino.

The setup was flawless. The weather was perfect. Ben’s cousin TJ and his girlfriend Taylor were on-site, ready to help with the plan. Michelob Ultras were in hand. It was go time.

As the round of mini golf went on, Olivia started to notice a few... oddities. For one, Ben’s hands were unusually sweaty—like, palms-are-their-own-weather-system sweaty—which was not exactly typical mini golf behavior. Even stranger, he kept sneaking glances at his phone and furiously typing between holes. Somewhere around hole 7, Olivia raised an eyebrow and asked why he was glued to his screen instead of laser-focused on the game. Thinking quickly (and sweating even more), Ben claimed he was “talking to UPS about the next stage of the interview process.” Technically true, but in reality, he was in full covert communication mode with TJ, trying to keep the proposal plan on track without raising suspicions—or losing the ring to a water hazard.

Then, near disaster. Olivia, unaware of the covert op underway, made a very sudden detour to the restroom—right where TJ and Taylor were secretly hiding with the ring. Cue Ben’s frantic, all-caps text:

“OLIVIA HEADED TO BATHROOM.”

Mission nearly compromised, TJ and Taylor dove into the men’s room like agents in a spy thriller. Crisis (barely) averted.

The game continued. By the 16th hole, Ben could see the 18th hole through the trees—the designated proposal site. He sent the final signal. TJ, playing it safe after the near-bathroom encounter, handed the ring off to a golf course employee. And folks, give that man an Oscar. He casually walked up to the hole like a PGA groundskeeper and slipped the ring into place without a single soul suspecting a thing.

At the 18th hole, Ben let Olivia go first… and she promptly hit her ball into the water feature. Of course. Ben, mildly panicking, fished the ball out and handed it back. Her second shot landed five feet from the cup—perfect setup. Ben followed with a wild, off-course shot to buy time and ensure his ball didn’t join the one in the pond.

Then, it happened.

Olivia looked at the hole and said, “There’s an obstruction...”

Ben replied, “Really? What is it?”

And just like that, he got down on one knee.

He told her he couldn’t imagine a life without her, and asked her to spend forever by his side. After a brief pause that felt like hours, Olivia said yes, and the two celebrated the only way they knew how—with a ceremonial chug (or chigg, for those who know) of Michelob Ultra.

To cap it all off, Ben landed the job at UPS, the trip to Northern Georgia confirmed that it was the perfect fit, and everything—somehow, magically—fell into place. The move was on, the engagement was official, and the Florida chapter had its perfect ending.

Next stop: Alpharetta, Georgia.

New city, new jobs, same love—now with wedding plans on the horizon and the rest of their lives to look forward to.