Heather & Michael
HeatherDean
&Michael Stout
May72022
Ararat, NC
Our Story
How We Met
Mike and I met at work a few years ago. I always thought he was super cute and fun to be around but at the time we met, I was dating someone else and he was getting ready to go thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. 500 miles into his hike, Mike reached a point where he was trying to decide whether to keep going or return home. He prayed and asked God for a sign. The next morning, his knees gave out and took that as his sign that God was telling him to come home. I have always told Mike that it was God bringing him back to me. A short while after Mike returned, my ex and I broke up. About a month or so later, Mike and I started hanging out more. Almost every weekend, we would go over to a friend's house for game nights and cookouts. The first time we hung out alone was going skydiving but if truth be told, Mike is terrified of heights and once I learned this I knew he must like me a lot. On our official first date, I was actually almost an hour late but he did not leave, he waited on me and we had a great time. Honestly, he still waits on me to this day (I am always running late). We have been together ever since then. We have made so many memories together, have gone on several adventures and I look forward to every adventure that awaits us!
The Proposal
When Mike proposed it was our 15-month anniversary. We had a date planned that day. We were celebrating by going to the park and the restaurant we ate at on our second date. Mike says our second date was his favorite because I dressed up more than I did on the first and that made him realize that I liked him. Needless to say, it was the perfect cover. The day was October 22, 2020. I thought if Mike was going to propose to me, he would do it at Christmas or New Years so I was not expecting it to happen that day. While we were at the park walking around, he took me over to a gazebo in the middle of the field. He took my hands, started saying all of the sweetest things and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!